


Wherever The Crows Flock, The Predator Is Never Far

by RandomAssRaven



Category: Tokyo Ghoul, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Angst, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Shinsou Hitoshi, Cannibalism, Crows and Ravens are cool and no one can change my mind, Endeavor’s A+ parenting, Fluff, Ghoul Midoriya Izuku, Good Parent Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Hisashi being a conniving shit stain, Hisashi’s a+ parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Insomniac Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Hisashi Being an Asshole, Midoriya Inko's Bad Parenting, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is Bad at Feelings, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Runaway Midoriya Izuku, Sassy Shinsou Hitoshi, Shinsou Hitoshi Needs a Hug, Shinsou Hitoshi being the greatest ever, Shinsou Hitoshi is Bad at Feelings, Shinsou Hitoshi is a Good Friend, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, Vigilante Shinsou Hitoshi, being terrible at Tags, foreboding sense of dread, inability to trust author-kun, no really!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:42:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23981014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomAssRaven/pseuds/RandomAssRaven
Summary: Midoriya Hisashi leaves Inko when Izuku is just 4 years old. His quirk never showed, so as to not 'taint his name', he leaves Inko to raise Izuku all on her own. Unfortunately she does not take the news well... Where quirks are the majority of the populance at a staggering 80%, the other 20% is that of the quirkiness. However, there is a secret statistic, because who would take into account 'quirk factor'?This is a story about an Izuku Midoriya who is pushed to the limit at the old age of 12. Developing a 'Ghoul quirk', how will Izuku fair dealing with the world of heroes and villains against him as he becomes a vigilante that has to eat his victims?
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi
Comments: 124
Kudos: 512





	1. Reap What You Sow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs I used-
> 
> My long forgotten cloistered sleep
> 
> https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ZgkceaN0k

…

…

…

~Ring~

…

~Ring~

...

~Ring~

...

~Ring~

...

*”I'm sorry, Inko cannot come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the be—“*

“INKO? Inko! I’ve been so worried about you! You haven’t talked to me in like, a month! And! The only time I’ve seen you is when you drop off the lil squirt at kindergarten!...

I’m... really worried about you, ya know? Friends tell friends what’s wrong, right? I know there’s something wrong...

...

Please... Inko... just talk to me...

Please...

*beep*

…

The dim light of a phone can be seen, misting the cold air of the room with a dim light that was once shroud in darkness.

With the light of the phone, a woman can be seen. Legs tucked up to her chest, a woman with green hair and eyes that stalk the phone that revealed her existence with the afterglow of the phone light...

Inko looks down at her phone, a 1000 yard stare plastered on her face. Unseeing.

The notifications of unread messages and voicemails piling up on the lightly illuminated screen of her phone.

The phone then shuts off automatically, consuming the woman once again in the dark, foreboding room.

Within the dark we see Space man, lost in space for an eternity, never to see the moon, the earth, or husband again. Cast out in the never ending, limitless void of stars that stretch across space indefinitely. Never to be reached.

Inko looks to the left were a still open closet, a still open dresser, and still open drawer lay wide.

And without even making the venture outside her room, she knows there is a missing jacket and a missing pair of shoes.

She looks to her right

She sees her desk, lined with photos from the past, and present. Almost teasing her with the idea of ‘once was’.

Memories past…

And gone.

She sees herself, in a room shroud in darkness, ready to be filled with an imagination run wild.

Her husband, she sees.

He has the darkest of black hair, curled neatly around his defined jawline. A single strand of curl that seemed just a bit longer than the others sat along the middle of his face, resting just at the start of the nose. Only adding to the overall chaotically natural look that is messy, curly hair. He sports a light dusting of freckles, just barley creeping up the sides of his nose. Eyes a deep black, only the presence of the slight light reflecting off their surface reveals that they are not, indeed, endless voids.

She had always loved his eyes, she could very easily get sucked in and get lost. Forever spaceman, in the void of infinite, yet filled space. A void that was somehow filled with so much ‘color’, like the nebulas just barely visible beyond the stars. A void with a moon, and earth, and Hisashi, waiting on the other side for her return.

Never again, will this spaceman be able to traverse his eye’s space. Never again, will spaceman take to the stars with hope of return...

Never again.

Light tears stream down Inko‘s face, the already red and puffy eyes lined with dark circles clearly showing that this was not the first time they came, while showing no signs of being the last.

Looking over her at her darkened phone, the afterthought of the messages and missed calls swipes across her mind. She reaches out, picking up her phone to take a look, filling the room once again with that misty glow. finding it to be 7:23 pm.

‘It’s about dinner’ she muses.

Wiping her face with a pitiful attempt at scrubbing away her puffy eyes and dark circles she sets out for the kitchen to make herself and son dinner.

**Izuku**

“I’m sorry Inko, but I’m afraid I can’t stay here any longer, I can't live in the same house as a Quirkless freak.”

Hisashi stands in the middle of the hallway, only a few feet from the front door. A look of pity shone across his ever, black eyes.

“And you Inko, never would I have thought you could produce something so... wretched..”

“Hisa—

He cuts her off. His voice is a steady monotone, an unwavering, almost rehearsed tone.

“I’ve decided to start working abroad, expect money to be sent once a month for living expenses.

I’m sorry I have to leave you, Inko. But I cannot taint my name with the likes of the Quirkless. I know you, I know that you cannot simply leave your son, no matter how disgustingly foul he may be…”

He trailed off, Inko noticed his Capitalising on the word quirkless, voice dripping with obvious venom. For what felt like an eternally long second, Hisashi finally speaks again.

“Quirkless are a menace to society, nothing more.”

Retrieving his suitcase, taking his jacket, and putting on his shoes, he left out the front door. Not uttering another word. leaving Inko to stand, staring shell-shocked at the closed door.

In the foreign country of America, Hisashi would be known as the fire breathing pro hero: ‘Inferno’, always sending a check through the mail back to Japan. Every month. Never once contacting the family he once had.

Inko shakes her head, she’s thought about it enough. She has to make dinner for her son. She has to stop sulking and move on.

While taking out the pans and utensils necessary to start cooking, a thought looms ever-present in the back of her head, no matter how hard she’s tried to suppress it.

 **“Izuku, this is your fault”**.

Shaking her head again and turning on the stove, she stared deeply into the fire that lit for a minute, before taking out some pork and preparing it. She was making Katsudon today.

As she was preparing dinner in a practiced sort of fashion, she let her mind wander elsewhere...

**“If only Izuku weren’t Quirkless”**

She chops the onion

**“If only Izuku were ‘normal’”**

She flours the pork

**“If only Izuku had power”**

She turns the temperature to a sizzle

**“If only—**

...

The Katsudon…

was done.

* * *

Izuku wakes up to the sun shining on his freshly slept, sensitive eyes. With a soft groan, he lifts himself up into a sitting position, attempting to rub the tired out of his eyes.

Glancing around his room, contemplating his existence for a few seconds, he reluctantly gets up from his bed and makes his way to the bathroom, starting his morning routine.

His room is bare for the most part, there was a larger than normal stack of notebooks sitting up against the wall besides his desk with some AllMight and other miscellaneous hero figurines scattered haphazardly around his room.

Contrary to what his room said, he really respected heroes, read up as much as he could on them. He had notebooks apoun notebooks just dedicated to quirks and heroes and whatever else interested the young boy, including but not limited to, drawings.

Though, If he was going to be completely honest, he started to lose his once ‘amazed love’ of heroes he once had when he was 4. Nowadays, he was much more interested in their fighting styles and quirks instead of just the ‘idea’ of heroes.

That was okay though, he enjoyed drawing and analyzing just fine. He was studying up to become one of those heroes, after all. Without a quirk, there was little else he could do except train and have as much knowledge as possible.

Making his way to the kitchen, he started taking out the things necessary to make breakfast.

This was another thing that changed since Izuku was 4. Over the years, he had been seeing less and less of his mother. Not in a sense of literally being gone… just not really there.

for him that is...

After da— Hisashi left about 8 years ago, his mother had looked constantly tired. Eyes that are always a little too red, black circles always a little too dark. Of course he tried to help her, but she was always dismissive.

**Almost like she didn’t even want him there.**

Over time though, her sadness turned to what Izuku could only describe as bitterness. She seemed to always be ticked off about something. Whether it be the mention of Hisashi or anything related to him. Growing more and more secluded and dismissive. Pretty much completely ignoring, or disregarding Izuku.

Shaking his head, he grabbed some spices and sprinkled it on the eggs he had just prepared. Adding a little more flavor to otherwise bland, stale eggs.

Turning on the news, he was greeted with the new debut of edgeshot. It was a little interview, showing little snip bits of the fight that had taken place.

I’ll have to read up on him later, Izuku mused, eating his eggs.

* * *

School.

‘Ahhh, how amazing this wonderful school is that I wake up at the crack of dawn for’ Izuku thinks as he gazes down at his graffiti covered desk with something akin to ‘just another Thursday’.

Classmates around him snicker as he takes a dry-erase rag and starts wiping off the ‘inspirational phrases’ that decorate his desk in bold, black marker.

‘On days like these I wish I was illiterate’, Izuku muses as he scrubs the desk with a little more force than necessary.

Glancing up from his task, he is greeted with the famous side eyed, will crushing glare of Katsuki Bakugo.

Ahh yes, #1 resident fuckboy and sparky sparky boom man reject. Primary tormentor and all things I hate compressed into what is known as the 1# hero candidate of our school.

Now, one would probably ask “was he always like this?”. Yes, well his attitude was always a little fowl ever since we were kids, but before our quirks came in we actually used to be friends.

Believe it or not, I used to follow this mistake around like a little duckling when we were 4. Yeah know, when he wasn’t a total dick. We would play heroes and villains, dream about the future, and do whatever hopeful little toddlers did at the time.

**Before I was a Deku**

Bakugo’s gaze turns back to the front of the room, with the silent promise of pain later on going with it. I heave a long, drawn out sigh as I put the rag away and get ready for class.

The day continues on at a leisure pace, Involving long drawn out lectures and doodling in my notebook. Nobody really pays any mind to me, which is fine. That's the plan anyway, stay as inconspicuous as possible while living as close to a ghost as I can.

It’s just easier.

If you don’t exist, nobody bugs you. And when nobody bugs you, you don’t get bullied.

This is where my cat-like quietness I’m personally known for comes in. Over the years, I’ve learned to stay as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. When my mom comes home late after hanging out with officemates from work, or being just in a fowl mood in general, you learn to stay quiet. Otherwise you could get an ‘overly emotional’ mother and a string of accusatory insults thrown your way.

It really comes in handy when you’re trying to avoid people out for your blood.

The bell abruptly rings, taking Izuku out of his thoughts and signaling the end of the day. He packs up his notebook and other miscellaneous possessions and makes his way to the exit.

This is when Izuku notices Bakugo’s watchful gaze. Stalking him, his eyes silently promising confrontation.

This is when Izuku kicks into gear.

It’s a little dance that Izuku and Bakugou have come to rehearse over the years. Bakugo decides he wants a moving target to test his quirk on, and Izuku tries to escape untimely his fate.

Following the steady stream of people, Izuku leaves out the opposite door on the other side of the room (farthest from Bakugo) and disappears into the large crowd of students, eager to leave school.

This successfully puts distance between Bakugo and him, but does not leave him out of his watchful peripheral. Izuku speeds up the pace, gracefully weaving through the crowd with practiced ease.

Successfully making his way to the front gate of the school, Izuku inacts phase 2 of ‘how long can I avoid Bakugo’ and sprints the hell out of there.

Unfortunately though, it seems Bakugo is unreasonably persistent today and Izuku can hear faint explosions in the background. Izuku barely gets to the park that is the halfway point to his house when Bakugo catches up.

Izuku glances back just in time for an explosion to the face, effectively sending Izuku sprawling out ungracefully to the ground in front of him.

His effort to stand up is inevitably fruitless as he feels a heavy weight rest on his exposed back.

“Whatcha runnin’ from Deku? I just wanted to have a friendly chat”. Bakugo says, drawing out the ‘friendly’ a little too long.

Pressing his body weight further on Izuku, Izuku grunts out “what do you want Bakugo?” Voice strained.

“I want to know what gives you the right to think you're better than me?!?” Bakugo says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Voice dripping with disdain.

“.......Huh?” Izuku says, like the intellectual he is.

Bakugo scoffs, releasing his weight on the smaller, forest green haired boy’s back. Leaning forward with his arms crossed. “You know DAMN well what I mean! Sitting in class, not really paying attention, always distracted!! WHAT? YOU THINK YOUR BETTER THAN ME?!?”

After Bakugo states that piece of work, Izuku just kinda stares up at him incredulously. Not really believing what he is hearing.

As Bakugo stares at him expectantly, waiting for his response Izuku just slowly blinks. Noticing he is still on the ground he moves to get up, only to be unceremoniously beaten to it when Bakugo picks him up by the collar of his shirt.

“WELL? WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER?!? YOU STUPID WORTHLESS DEKU?!?” Bakugo screams at him, practically spitting the words out.

Coming back to reality, Izuku grabs the hand that’s holding him up in a futile attempt at wrenching him free, he strains “B-bakugo, w-what do you even m-ean?”

‘Goddamn stutter’ Izuku chastises as he gains another explosion to the chest. Clearly that was the wrong thing to say as he was roughly thrown to the ground again, Bakugo slowly approaching.

“You know GOD WELL WHAT I MEAN! JUST ADMIT IT!!! YOU THINK YOU’RE SOOO HIGH AND MIGHTY!!”

Bakugo continues his onslaught of screaming while Izuku slowly tries to crawl away. What does Bakugo even mean? So what I’d rather draw than pay attention to a subject I already understand, that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone!?!

Izuku’s internal monologue doesn’t get the chance to make it to his lips as he spots Bakugos cronies in the distance.

Bakugo seems to notice too and a malicious smirk dawns on his face. Standing by his side, the two cronies stand intimidatingly next to Bakugo. Malicious intent radiating off all three.

“Since you don’t seem to know your place, Deku…” Bakugo trails off, locking fiery red eyes on fearful dark green ones.

**“Then I’ll show you”**

The sound of distant punches and kicks could be heard all across the nearby park. An empty park providing no ears to hear the nearby assault. The occasional explosion making its way into the sadistic ambiance.

After what seemed like an eternity, the assaulters stopped their onslaught of punches and explosions. Leaving the green haired boy laying on the ground, staring up at nothing.

Traces of faint tear stains adore his freckled face. Angry Bruises, cuts, and burn marks paint his skin like a demented canvas. Cold eyes staring up at the sky as if questioning ‘why am I like this…’.

Finally stirring in his stupor, he makes the attempt to stand back up only to abruptly fall back to the earth, feeling utterly humiliated and broken.

Curling up into a ball he starts to sob, utterly tired of everything. From Hisashi’s abrupt disappearance, to his mother's more ‘violent’ tendencies, and his constant ridicule at school, he suddenly felt so… so...

**Cold…**

It was like he was finally realizing for the first time what he was enduring. Crashing on him like the final supports keeping the light flowing in failing and plunging him into the dark.

He tried so hard. Sooooo hard to just... Deal with it. He lived day to day pretending ‘everything was fine’, brushing off all the assaults like they didn’t mean anything.

**They did, and they do.**

He suddenly feels so weak, so tired. Crying his eyes out into the cold, unforgiving ground below. He thought if he lived day to day with a smile and indifference it would all be better.

**But It wasn’t.**

He held desperately onto the hope that maybe ‘one day, it will be better’,’one day, it will be alright’.

**But it never would.**

Izuku’s breathing starts to slow, his racing heart finally releasing its strain on his injured chest. Limply laying on the ground on his side, giving out weak, small breaths. Eyes devoid of the light that once upon a time, shown through.

This is when Izuku realized something

His mother wouldn’t be awaiting his return at home and nobody at school would be waiting for his attendance the next day.

**I have nobody.**

He climbs to his knees

**Nobody cares about me anymore.**

He tried to lift his tired body

**Katsuki was right.**

He leans his head down, the world around him turning into different shades of grey

**Why can’t I just...**

His world starts to go dark

**Why can’t I just… DISAPPEAR!?!**

“Are you okay?...”

...

Izuku’s world abruptly _**shatters.**_

“Huh?...” Izuku softly breathes, looking up.

There, standing before him, is a boy about his age. A tall stature, dark circles under his eyes that could rival his, and the most wild lavender hair Izuku has ever seen.

“Are you okay?” He repeats, a tired yet concerned look on his face.

Izuku looks down at his trembling hand, then back up at the boy. Internally contemplating his words.

“Y-yeah, I- I’m fine…” it sounded weak, even to Izuku.

“Really? Cause’ you don’t look ‘okay’.” He states, incredulous, voice dripping in sarcasm. An almost board look to his gaze.

Staying silent, Izuku looks down. Suddenly finding the little pebbles on the ground the most interesting thing in the world.

“Do you... want to talk about it? Cause’ I can’t in good conscience leave a skinny ass kid who looks like they tried to walk on burning coals only to trip laying on the ground”. The mystery boy states, the ever present sarcasm lacing his words.

Izuku chuckles a little, suddenly finding the situation absolutely hilarious. Almost drunkenly, he lulls his head up “D-do I really look that bad…” Izuku drawls. “And you're just as skinny as me, don’t even go there”, Izuku, finding his voice absent of any stutters, asks “why do you care?”

“I’m just a Quirkless, useless, nobody… after all...” another giggle escapes Izuku's throat.

The lavender haired boy stares down at Izuku, a slightly surprised expression gracing his face before looking contemplative.

“...bullies?” He asks slowly.

Taking the silence as his answer he continues.

“I know how that feels…” before Izuku has any time to look shocked he starts again. “Going through everyday, everything around you feeling like a fever dream…” he trails off.

“Blissfully trudging through each day, hoping that one day, it will be better…” Izuku continues.

“Only for your world to abruptly shatter”. The boy finishes, putting a bit more emphasis on the last word.

They sit/stand there in silence for a long minute. The quick fluttering of birds can be heard in the distance as a flock quickly flies away.

The silence is abruptly cut off by the sound of a soft laugh. Drawing on for a little bit before a sigh escapes Izuku’s lips.

“We are a mess, aren't we?” Izuku looks up at the purple haired boy again, voice sounding tired and slightly subdued.

“Yeah…” the boy quickly states, a smirk adorning his tired looking face.

“Why do they bully you?” Izuku asks, genuine interest lacing his tone.

“I’ve got what someone might call a… ‘villainous’ quirk” Izuku can practically feel the air quotes as the boy states that.

“I didn’t know there could be a villainous quirk…’ Izuku mumbles, getting a blank look from the other boy.

“Yeah, well everyone seems to think my quirk is ‘scary’ or ‘villainous’.” The lavender haired boy says, slight venom dripping from his words.

“Oh? Would you mind telling me what this oh so ‘villainous’ quirk is?” Izuku let’s a bit of humor leak into his tone, grinning softly.

Izuku's soft grin slowly falls as the seconds tick by without a word. When He opened his mouth to say something, the boy cut him off.

“Brainwashing” he states flatly, an unreadable expression adorning his face.

Excitement abruptly spiked in the forest haired boy’s eyes, stars practically visible in those dark orbs.

“Really? That’s such a cool quirk! Do you know how useful that could be in heroics?!? You could stop villains before they even get the chance to do, well, anything!! You could get information out of anyone and talk down suicide victims without having to lift even a finger!!!” Izuku exclaimed excitedly, going on and on in an endless stream of possible uses for the lavender haired boy’s quirk.

Realizing he was muttering, he slapped a hand over his mouth. Looking up quickly, an apologetic look in his eyes, only to falter at the expression the boy was giving. He looked almost… confused?

“You… you seriously think I could do that? Be a hero I mean?” The boy asked, a shocked look on his face, almost not believing what he was hearing.

“Well, yeah! Of course! I could think of a million ways your quirk could be used in heroics!” They green haired boy stated in a matter-of-fact way.

The lavender haired boy stared down at the other boy for a long minute, before asking “wait... you aren't scared of me?”

“No, why would I be?”

The two stared at each other for a little longer before the lavender haired boy started his own stream of laughter. As he slowly starts to calm down, he looks back down at Izuku, saying “you’re really weird, yeah know that?”

Plastering on a look of false affendence, the green haired boy dramatically gasps “how dare you accuse me of such charges?”

They both share a good natured laugh, probably the first for both of them in a while.

Both smirking at each other Izuku decides to make the most educated inquiry of all time “I should probably get up, shouldn’t I?” The green haired boy states.

“Probably”

They both decided they should walk home together, not wanting to part ways just yet. Because Izuku’s house is the closest, by process of elimination the pair starts their journey to Izuku’s ‘home’.

On their walk, Izuku found out the boy’s name was Shinsou Histoshi. They share stories with each other. Their own experiences and opinions. Almost like they were regular kids, on a regular outing, on a regular day.

Finally arriving at the green haired boys house, they swap numbers, silently promising to fill the empty chat room with many conversations to come. Smirking at each other one last time, they part ways, both feeling just a little bit lighter.

* * *

Opening the front door, Izuku is slightly surprised when he realizes the house is not, infact, empty.

Looking over at the couch, he sees his mother. Laying on her side, mindlessly flicking through the channels. A tired look on her face.

Izuku, realizing his predicament, puts his stuff down as quietly as he can. He starts to make his way to his room, walking on the balls of his feet when he abruptly stops when his name is called.

“Izuku” his mother states with an emotion Izuku cannot quite place.

“Y-yes…?” Izuku asks, his usual stutter back.

“...Could you come here for a minute?” Inko states, pausing whatever channel the TV was on.

Complying, Izuku walks over. Cautiously, he stands right in front of his mother, her gaze looking at him with something he can’t place.

Inko stares at her son for a long minute. Starting to get uncomfortable, Izuku shifts his weight.

Narrowing her perceptive eyes for a bit, Inko continues “you know, you look just like…” she drawls.

Izuku suddenly feels a massive spike of fear as Inko finishes her statement.

 **“Hisashi”** , she states in obvious hate, cutting through the air almost like a blade.

Trying to make an escape, Izuku pitifully tried for his room only to be abruptly stopped.

Inko, who was holding her hand out, had a cold glare adorning her face. Using her quirk to foil Izuku’s attempted escape.

Trying to fight the quirk restraining his movements, he starts to sob again. His mother made her way to the kitchen.

Eyes widening to impossible proportions, Izuku sees where Inko is headed. The knife block. Getting desperate, Izuku starts to shake violently, his instincts and adrenaline kicking into overdrive as he tries to escape his mother’s wrath.

It isn’t enough, though. He was already tired from what happened earlier that day to fully stand a chance.

Slowly making her way back to her son, carrying a large kitchen knife, her gaze still remains frozen.

“Hisashi... do you know how much _pain_ you made me feel?” Inko starts, voice sickly sweet, but also cold at the same time.”Do you know how much it _hurt_ when you left?”

Hyperventilating, Izuku starts to pitifully plead for his mother to snap out of it. His day was going so well after Bakugo left. He actually thought that the day was done and over with, the pleasant thought of Shinsou ending the day on a high note.

But, like the rest of Izuku’s shitty life, the universe has other plans.

Inko’s quirk keeping Izuku tightly locked in place, she starts to take off his school uniform, leaving only his pants and white T-shirt on. Looking at him over once more, her eyes filled with cold hate, she starts to bring the knife closer to Izuku.

The green haired boy’s quiet pleas fall on deaf ears as the knife slowly starts to carve away at Izuku’s arms.

Screaming out in pain, he starts to sob harder, Inko absentmindedly inquiring about how much she hates Hisashi and how much he hurt her.

Long, deep cuts litter his already abused arms. Sometimes even crossing each other as Inko listens to her son weep. Blood dripped down his arms onto the hardwood floor.

Izuku, starting to feel lightheaded, starts to cease his wails. Noises only consisting of weak sobs. Black starts to creep up in the edges of his vision from how much adrenaline his body has been subjected to this past day.

This went on for what felt like hours. Izuku desperately trying to think of something, anything else. His thoughts wandered to his short time with Shinsou, how he cared enough to ask what was wrong and not give a damn about his Quirkless status. Laughing and talking about stupid topics that crossed their minds on their walk.

A true friend, it seemed.

Tears streaming down Izuku's face, pitiful choked sobs escaping his lips, Inko seemed to have her fill. Taking the knife and cleaning it off in the sink like she didn’t just carve up her son like a wood carving.

Releasing her hold, Izuku unceremoniously drops to the ground on his knees.

‘Heh, dejavu much…’ Izuku thinks drearily, eyes glazed over, a dry laugh escaping his mouth to quiet to hear.

Simply, and utterly done, Izuku hauls his ass off the floor. His body feeling like lead while also feeling as light as a feather, Izuku trudges to the bathroom. Slowly.

Making his way to the cabinets, he takes out a first aid kit and starts to slowly patch himself back up.

He’s had practice…

After a while of tending to his damaged, stinging arms. He promptly falls onto his bed like a dropped sack of potatoes.

Not even bothering to change or get under the covers. He just lays there, eyes listless.

Unknowingly, Izuku’s eyes start to leak again. He feels worse than what he felt earlier today. His mind barely comprehends what the hell even happened.

It felt like he was walking on a thin tightrope rope made of twine, trying his hardest not to fall.

**But he did.**

His eyes slowly closing, he drifted off to the realm of sleep, breath slowing and becoming steady.

Izuku’s entire world went dark.

* * *

The TV can be heard running on in the background, faint professional sounding voices can be heard over the faint glow of screen.

*”An illegal research study was recently found conducting experiments on human and quirk relations. More specifically how they appear. Using pre-existing knowledge and data before and after quirks appear at age 4, They spread out, deciding to conduct studies on the declared ‘Quirkless’.”*

*”Though the people who were experimented on were volunteers, the study was deemed illegal and inhumane in the eyes of the law. These experiments were mainly focused on if the quirkless can still have a ‘Quirk factor’.”*

*”Out of the 78 volenteers, only 6 had been deemed to have a ‘Quirk factor’. This refers to a quirk only being activated in a stressful environment as a safety precaution. I.E. , regular quirks naturally come in at the age of 4. However, people who are ‘Quirkless’, but have a ‘Quirk factor’ develop a quirk when the person is put through high amounts of stress.”*

*”People who have a 'Quirk factor' and develop a quirk usually don’t have a quirk related to their parent’s. This could be because the ‘Quirk factor’ is a type of mutation, but the answer is still unknown. Studies were shut down after authorities found out about the foul practices used to induce a quirk to appear.”*

*”And that’s all for Musutafu news! Have a good night!”*


	2. Only In The Darkest Of Times, Can Light Truly Shine... Or Does It...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used: Blood On My Name
> 
> [Izuku’s Dream](https://youtu.be/MOSU_Pw7vO4)

...

...

Dark... 

All that there is to see is dark... 

There is no up, no down, no left, no right. 

Just... 

**Dark...**

The feeling of infinite weightlessness that can make one feel like they do not exist in this infinitely unchanging void. 

However, one thing is different. One thing that's overwhelmingly noticeable in the endless void of nothingness... 

It is so... 

**cold...**

It’s _frigid_ , its glacial chill running up and down his body in an almost Siberian _freeze_. 

That's when he sees it 

A little will o wisp of crimson, almost blood red fire, dancing gently in the dark for only him to see. 

So he reaches, and he reaches... desperate to grasp _something_ in this endless realm of nothing... 

And he succeeds, if only just barely. 

As soon as he lays one finger on the spectacle of wispy red the word suddenly becomes heavy, heavy enough to have him crash on a seemingly non existent ground... 

Using his arms as leverage, he makes his way into a sitting position with the sudden bound of gravity, but not before noticing the wispy like fire resting almost right in front of him. 

Almost in an entranced like state, he gazes at the beautiful ever burning fire in front of him. Red reflecting in his green irises. 

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached again. Unable to resist its alluring, entrancing dance for a second longer. 

Making contact once again, instead of the sudden addition of gravity, the fire abruptly breaks apart and flurries around his outstretched arm and past his shoulders before going behind him and dragging its flame in a trail in a half moon like shape before reconnecting with its other half once again in front of him. Creating a perfect circle of crimson flame surrounding him. 

Still sitting on his hands and knees, he trails the fire ring with his eyes. Only then does he realize the distinct lack of _warmth_ that fire is supposed to give off. 

As soon as the thought is finished, that's when he hears it. 

At first it starts off as one voice, but then another, and another is added in quick succession. The sounds of all the taunts, ridule, and laughter of his peers coming off the flames like the crackling of a campfire. All slowly getting louder and louder. 

It’s _too_ much, he thinks as he starts to curl in on himself. Pressing his hands to his ears as hard as he can, trying in vain to muffle the almost psychotic jeering that only gets louder and **louder.**

**“You’ll never amount to anything!”**

**“Ooooooo, look! It’s worthless, quirkless Deku~”**

**“HA! SERIOUSLY? YOU STILL WANT TO BE HERO?!? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!””**

**“It seems little Deku doesn’t know his place~ a shame really... Oh well, someone has to show you your place when Bakugo isn't around to do it.”**

**“Quirkless”**

**“Useless”**

**“Weak”**

**“You know** **_..._ ** **”**

There’s one voice that cuts through all the others in an almost painfully sharp manner. A voice he knows all too well... 

**“You look just like...”**

**...**

That's when the demented cacophony of taunts abruptly stops. The fire is still going strong, almost burning with unbound intensity until what looks like an abrupt gust of wind starts blowing away the fire. 

He couldn’t have been more wrong... 

The fire instead starts to pick up off the ground, swirling around him in a corkscrew of flurrying flames. Coming to once again rest in front of him for the third time. However, instead of turning into a small, wispy flame again... 

It grows 

It rages 

And it **burns**

Taking the form of a menacing wolf-like silhouette. A dangerous, warped smile pulling at its fiery lips. 

Wolf smiles at him. 

_“What have you been doing?”_ Wolf said. 

“...Wha-” 

_“What have you been doing?”_ Wolf repeats. 

“...” 

_“Exactly”_

The empty void warps and distorts in an array of different colors, settling onto the image of Aldera Elementary School. Students and teachers leisurely making their way through the front gates. 

Suddenly, the scene warps again. He sees himself, about 10 years old walking through the halls, only to come to an abrupt halt when he runs into the guy coming his way. 

Crumpling to the ground, he goes to get up when he sees the guy’s shadow cast over him in an intimidating showing. People are already trickling into the classrooms as they have a stare down. 

“Watch where you're going! Deku! Y’know it’s rude to run into someone without apologizing? 

Biting his lip, he opens his mouth to apologize when he is suddenly kicked to the side. 

“Y’know what? I don't even think apologizing is enough! My image has already been tainted by even coming into contact with the likes of you, quirkless freak!! **Grovel.”**

Looking back up from the side of the wall, Izuku goes to protest when he is roughly kicked again. 

**“Grovel.”**

Resigning himself, he goes into an on the floor bow. Head touching the floor he sends out a stream of weak, monotone apologies. 

“Much better” the guy states.”Maybe now you’ll learn to respect those above you.” 

The world then cuts to some of the times when he was confronted outside, roughly shoved into walls, punched, kicked, and blasted with quirks in succession to one another... 

Then, Wolf speaks. 

_“See that? You're tormented every day at school. Keeping your comments and opinions to yourself, all the while your pleas fall on deaf ears by adults and students alike...”_

_“I ask you again...”_

_“What have you been doing?”_

He looks down at his hands, contemplating for a moment before forming a pained expression on his face as realization dawned on him. 

Wolf’s smile gets wider. 

_“Exactly, you have done_ ** _nothing_** _.”_

_“You sit there and take it, and for what?”_

The world around him then takes the form of his apartment. Hisashi stands in the hallway leading to the front door, briefcase at hand. 

“Quirkless are a menace to society, nothing more.” 

Hisashi then leaves out the front door, leaving Inko behind to crumple to the ground and sob quiet tears. Izuku, with his knees up to his chest also sobbing just behind the wall. Out of sight. 

_“You're told by everyone around you how freakish and useless you are, your own father even left because he didn't want to ‘taint his good name’”._ Wolf whispers, getting closer to his ear. 

_“Even your own mother...”_

We see an 8 year old izuku being beaten by his mother, the artificial light of the TV being the only thing to shed light on the scene. All the while, Inko screams how it is izuku’s fault Hisashi left. That he wasn’t strong enough, that he was too _weak._

 _“Whether you were consciously aware or not... you took those words to heart.”_ Wolf says, gracefully strolling around izuku. 

_“You thought and believed that what she said was right. Because your father left, your mother was hurt, and all of your peers never told you differently...”_

_“You were conditioned to think that you_ **_deserved_ ** _it.”_

... Izuku’s eyes go wide... 

_“And for a while, even as your obsession of heroes diminished and turned much more practical, even when your dreams of being a hero remained... you still truly_ **_believed_ ** _it.”_

... Silence fell upon the endless, freezing void. Wolf standing in front of him with the same raging fires of its design. Izuku looked down at the nonexistent ground in shock. A blank stare gracing his features. 

_“However...”_

Izuku looked up, eyes listless. 

_“Even with your naivety gone and your bright eyed obsessions diminished... you continued to_ ** _burn_** _.”_

_“You started to hate what was happening to you, you started becoming aware as time grew ever longer. But you still took it. And for what?”_

_..._

_“Because you're still_ ** _weak._** _”_

Izuku starts openly sobbing, soft tears trickling down his forest green eyes, the crimson flame still dancing in their reflection. 

_“Don't cry, not now. Because you may be weak now, but you can be strong. You’re starved of the strength that you always had, yearning for it to be set free.”_

Wolf steps closer. 

_“Let the fires of your internal_ **_rage_ ** _and HUNGER for strength out. push out every last ember until there is nothing left caged up inside.”_

Wolf looms in front of Izuku mere inches away, just within reach. Ever present smile is still gracing its face. 

Izuku reached out, hand steady, and sure. 

Crimson flames dance up Izuku’s arms, creeping up his skin until his entire body is shrouded in the wispy light. 

It's cold... 

Until it **Isn’t.**

Izuku screams as the flames start seeping into him, sending white hot pain coursing through his veins. Creeping into every nerve, every muscle, every cell. Experiencing the blazing, scorching, White hot fire as it burns into Izuku’s entire being. 

Izuku wakes up. 

* * *

Shinsou stares up at the ceiling, not really looking at anything as he dives deeper and deeper into his thoughts. 

He thinks about what happened earlier that day. 

Shinsou had decided to take a detour that day, wanting to check out a new cat cafe that was in the area. Once finishing up his visit, all he was left with was the trek back home. 

That is, until he saw green. 

Shinsou had never been the ‘feelings’ type of guy. Always mostly keeping to himself and always having his ‘stay away from me’ aura up and running. 

His quirk kinda constituted for it. People found his quirk scary, villainous, and in turn people never really trusted him or only had nefarious reasons for talking to him. 

As you can imagine, having a quirk called ‘Brainwashing’ makes it difficult to find friends or even acquaintances. So, he just tries to stick to himself. 

Then he saw a boy, probably no younger than himself, short stature, and dark forest green hair with eyes to match. A myriad of bruises, cuts, and burn marks mixed in with his freckled face as he lay on the ground. Staring up at nothing. 

So Shinsou, the anti-social outcast with no social skills and a serious lack of sleep naturally approaches the boy. 

Luckily, or unluckily, they seem to share similar circumstances. His name is Izuku Midoriya, and he was quirkless. 

If Shinsou thought about how bad his bullying problem was because he had a ‘villainous’ quirk, he can’t even imagine what being quirkless must be like in this fucked up society. 

‘Cause though he’s had his fair share of bruises and cuts, very absent parents, and plenty of sleepless nights- he has never looked as scuffled, skinny, and raged as Midoriya had. 

On the way to Midoriya’s house he figured out his name and his shared dream to become a hero. Which honestly, Shinsou was pleasantly surprised with. He would have thought someone who looked that beat up and so _tired_ would still carry such an ambitious dream. Though, he guessed he’s one to talk. 

He wants to be a hero too, after all. 

Shinsou looks at his phone, seeing Midoriya’s name present in his very short list of contacts. 

‘Welp, I guess I finally got a friend’ he thought as he put his phone down again, a surreal look on his face. 

Never would he have thought that he would make a friend. His original plan was to get through his next couple years of middle school as inconspicuously possible and try out for the UA’s general course and get through to the hero course through the sports festival. His favorite hero, Eraserhead had also gotten through with that method, so he thought ‘why not’. 

But, he guessed fate had other plans and decided to drop him a care package from the beyond. 

Not like Shinsou’s complaining. 

The green eyed wonder was actually pretty chill, he had a kind air about him, and seemed to genuinely be interested and -dare he say- liked Shinsou’s company. 

He was also pretty cute, if he had to say so himself. 

Deciding he would try and hang out with him the next day as the last thought on his mind, Shinosu finally slips into a dreamless nights’ sleep. 

* * *

Izuku wakes up. 

Sitting in his bed, Izuku wheezes as he tries to bring air into his sore lungs. Sweat pools on his forehead as he clutches at his chest, gripping the shirt's fabric like it's his lifeline. Glancing up from his momentary stupor, Izuku’s distant, ghostly gaze lifts to see that he is in his room. Sun pouring in through his window. 

Closing his eyes and heaving a long, drawn out sigh, Izuku just kinda sits there for a moment. Thinking about his weird ‘fever dream’ that he just had. 

‘Have I been screaming?’ Izuku thinks absentmindedly, rubbing at his sore throat with a tired, yet contemplative look. Sliding out of his bed, he glares at the bed for a moment like it personally offended him before heading for the bathroom. 

Once he reaches the bathroom, he takes a moment to really get a good look at himself. 

His forest green hair looks much more disheveled than it normally does (if that's even possible) and his complexion looks really pale, really defining his dark, dark eye bags. His White shirt that he still wore from yesterday still had blood on it and his bandages look like they seriously need changing. 

‘Wow, I look like I've been thrown through the wringer’. Izuku thinks as he takes off the bandages. 

As he takes off the bloody bandages though, Izuku notices something... odd? His wounds already mostly look scared up, only a few of the worse off cuts are still left scabbed over. It looks like what they should if it were a few weeks from now. He also takes the time to notice his body aches. At first, he just assumed it was the cuts, bruising ect, but he finds he feels phantom pain throughout his entire body instead. However, he doesn’t really have time to think about it right now as a quick glance at the time shows he only has 5 minutes before he needs to head off to school. 

Throwing off his bloody shirt and grabbing his spare uniform, he makes the conscious decision to skip breakfast and he is quickly out the door, off to hell. 

* * *

School had been another slow day, no one really payed Izuku any mind and he has time to just clear his head. Doodling, quirk analysis, and taking the off notes for school make up the majority of his day and frankly, Izuku is content with that. 

The bell eventually rings, signaling for lunch when Izuku finds he forgot to make lunch too, what with the rushy morning. Sighing, he absentmindedly inquiries he is not that hungry anyway when he gets a text. 

[???] 

-Hey, this is Shinsou. The purple haired one that you saw yesterday 

-I was wondering if you maybe wanted to hang again today after school? Of course you don't have to if you decide im not worth hanging with or whatever 

-I understand 

Slightly caught off guard by the sudden invitation, Izuku takes a minute before he comes up with his decision. 

[Midoriya] 

Oh, hey Shinsou! Yeah, I'm totally down for hanging out later today, did you have anywhere in mind?- 

And of course I remember you, you helped me when I was _totally_ dying on the ground- 

I think a saw the light- 

[Shinsou] 

-Haha, you really did look like shit though, glad you're okay... 

-so anyway, there is this new CatCafe down the road from your area that I thought was pretty cool. Down for there? 

[Midoriya] 

Yeah, sure. I’ll just have to grab some money from my house and we can go if that's fine with you- 

[Shinsou] 

-Yeah, cool 

-see y’round 

Putting his phone away, a small smile graced Izuku's features as he shifted his gaze to look out the window. For the first time in a long time, Izuku finds himself looking forward to the end of the school day. Normally, he would be on his toes, trying to avoid any classmates that got any... malicious ideas, or he would have to start walking on glass when his mother got home from work. But today, he gets to go to a CatCafe with his maybe new friend after school instead. 

Like normal kids, after a normal day of school, hanging out with friends, and going out having fun. 

Izuku, with his day suddenly feeling a little brighter, takes out his notebook again and starts putting in an entry. Labeling it as ‘Shinsou’. 

* * *

Making his way home from school, (luckily, he was able to avoid any... obstacles) Izuku sees the silhouette of someone leaning near his apartment door, seemingly occupied with their phone. Grinning to himself, he starts making his way to the door when Shinsou glances up, smirking. 

“H-how did you get here before me? I-isn’t your s-school farther away?” Izuku asks, once again menatly kicking himself for the slight stutter. 

“~ _Magic~”_ Shinsou states with jazz hands, a smirk seeming to only grow. His sarcasm dripped at the seams. (No one needed to know that he maybe sped walked all the way here as soon as his school bell rang. Yep. Totally didn’t) 

Letting out a snort, Izuku makes his way into the apartment. Grabbing his wallet (that he also left from this morning) and rejoining Shinsou. 

Izuku sits there with a seemingly blank expression on his face as he is swarmed by cats. Shinosu (the traitor), is currently laughing his ass off as he takes pictures of Izuku sporting a deadpanned ‘this is fine’ face as the cat typhoon settles on his unsuspecting form. Cats crawling all over him, showering him with all their cat love affection stuff as Shinsou laughs mockingly while petting the cat currently on his lap. 

“Go get popcorn why don't you?” Izuku mumbles, glaring half-heartedly at Shinsou as he resigns to the fact he has now become a glorified cat tree. 

“Maybe a will” Shinsou retorts, chuckling a bit as he scrolls through his newly acquired (blackmail) photos of the dishevelled (Catified), grenett. 

Sighing with a small grin on his face, he glances down to the cats hoarding his lap. Petting as many as he can with gentle hands, eyes going impossibly soft. Seeing the spectacle, Shinsou decides to take one more picture as he sits up to join Midoriya in the cat mob. 

Once their cat time is up, they make their way to the main, food part of the cafe. Shinosu ordered a coffee with cat-shaped cream on top, and Izuku got a milk tea. Settling down into their seats at one of the tables near the shop window. 

The two friends chatter waiting for their drinks. And if Izuku’s going to be honest, he probably feels much more happy than he should simply getting to chat with a friend, absentmindedly noting how his stutter is lighting up. Mid conversation, Shinsou spares a glance at the tv playing a news station above the customers, starting to stare a bit as he recognizes the story. Seeing 

As Shinsou’s gaze shifts over to the side, Izuku follows it- Seeing the title “Quirk factor” in big bold letters at the base of the screen. 

“Did you already see the news the other night?” Shinsou asks, seeing the slightly confused expression on his face. “No, I-it must have aired later on in the night.” Izuku responds absentmindedly, still looking at the news. Shinsou nods. 

“Yeah, apparently the heroes busted a quirk study center or something that was researching quirkless volunteers. Something about seeing if some of them had something called a ‘Quirk factor’.” Shinsou states, curling both of his pointer and middle fingers to mimik air quotes. 

“W-what's a ‘Quirk factor?” 

Looking contemplative for a second, Shinsou responds. “If I remember correctly, they were originally studying why kids developed their quirks at around age 4. Then they started wondering if quirks could develop in a... different way. They took in a bunch of quirkless volunteers to do _unethical_ testing and apparently some of them _did_ end up developing quirks.” Izuku’s eyes widened at the news. “Once the heros and police found out about the practices they shut them down real quick. Though, rightfully so, whatever that _‘Unethical testing’_ was does NOT sound fun.” Shinsou finishes with a slight grimace, looking back at Izuku, only to slightly falter at his expression. 

Izuku had an almost dead look to his eyes, a 1000 yard stare plastered on his face as he stared at the tv. 

Izuku was reminiscing about all the times he had been physically abused and recounts the weird dream he had the night before. He had been shown all of the times he was blasted by quirks or simply kicked to a pulp. Trying to clear his thoughts, Izuku quickly shakes his head. 

Glancing back over at Shinou, he’s confused to find the slightly faulterd look in his expression. 

Shinsou slowly opens his mouth, seemingly going to say something before a waiter interrupts him. Setting their drinks down on the table in front of them. 

Seemingly Shinsou’s turn to shake out his thoughts, he grins down at his cat-coffee and goes to drink the delectable goodness, Izuku following suit with his own drink. 

That is, until he tastes it. 

There is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with his tea, but it's almost like he can barely taste it. He only really notices the texture of the drink instead of the flavor and it's really setting him off. Whatever he was thinking must have shown on his face, as Shinsou gains his own puzzled look. 

“Does it taste weird?” He asks. Passing his drink over, Shinsou takes a swig, only for his face to get more puzzled. “It tastes fine to me... wanna try my drink?” Shinsou offers. 

Nodding slightly, Izuku takes a sip of Shinsou’s coffee only to be pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Though, it seems the whipped cream has the same effect as the bubble tea, not really tasting it, but noticing all the textures. “Hmmm, n-no... your drink is fine. B-but the whipped cream tastes weird like the tea. Or, I guess the problem is the _lack_ of taste...” Izuku informs, frowning slightly as he’s... what's the word? Put off? 

“Okay that's... Strange.” Shinsou inputs, staring down at Izuku’s drink, seemingly feeling not far off from Izuku’s own sentiment. 

“Maybe you're getting sick?” he suggests, trying to think of what might be the problem. 

“I’m not sure, I-it's not like I'm feeling any differently... A-at Least, I don't think so.” Izuku inquires. 

Sitting in silence for a couple more minutes, trying to think of something that might remotely be the cause, Shinosu seems to make up his mind. 

“How about we leave and go over to your place? We can try some actual food and see if the same thing happens with that”. He states, waiting for Izuku’s confirmation. 

Suddenly getting slightly panicked at the prospect that his mom might be home early, Izuku hastily declines, only to abruptly stop at the confused and slight hurt that flashes across Shinsou’s face. Faltering slightly, Izuky looks down. Stutter coming full force with a vengeance. 

“M-my, M-mother Might Be-be home. Sh-She’s not... She’s no-not the n-nicest m-mother...” Izuku says trying not to make eye contact, as something akin to ‘subdued’ rings in Shinsou’s ears he stares worriedly back at Izuku. Noting the way he seemed to rub at his arm in an almost nursing matter. 

Before anyone could say anymore, Izuku takes the moment to abruptly get up. Giving Shinsou his share of the check, he quickly thanks Shinsou for hanging out with him and makes for the door, only to get stopped by his wrist being grabbed. 

“W-what ar-are you d-doing?” Izuku askes, tears starting to pool in his forest green eyes. He really didn’t want to abruptly leave Shinsou, he really didn’t. But the remembrance of his mother overpowered him. He really didn’t want a repeat of yesterday if his mother decided to care if he was late. 

“Is your mother...” Shinsou trails off a little “ are you okay?” he asks, all previous sarcasm gone and replaced with pure worry. 

“I-I don’t want to talk about it.” Izuku quickly tacks. Normally he would just outright deny this, but for some reason he finds he can’t find it in him to do that to Shinsou. Not when he has been the only person in ages to _ever_ show Izuku genuine concern. 

“That's fine, I just want to know if you’re okay.” he says simply. 

“...” 

After coming to a seemingly stalemate, Izuku hears a long sigh before he feels his wrist being released. 

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, since we just met and all... But I just want you to know you're not alone.” 

Izuku’s eyes widen 

“I’ve had my fair share of sucky parents and sucky peers, and I don't think you truly get what this friendship means to me... we are friends, right?” Shinsou suddenly looks up, hopeful. 

“O-of course Shinsou, I’ve never once not considered you my f-friend...” Izuku reassured him quickly. 

There is a beat of silence before Izuku fully turns around to face Shinsou. 

“Thank you, f-for caring e-enough to be concerned. I- I’ve never r-really had an-anyone I can just t-talk to before.” Izuku plays with his thumbs nervously. 

There was a beat of silence before Shinsou broke it with another sigh. 

“Okay, I’ll let you off the hook for now. Just- Just promise me you will tell me if something goes wrong... I- my parents were never really there for me and they kinda left me here when they decided to go work abroad so... I have an apartment to myself if you need somewhere-” 

Shinsou was cut off when he suddenly had a weight falling around his chest. He looks down to find a mess of green curls pressing against his chest, shirt getting damp. Caught off guard by the sudden showcase of affection he awkwardly pats the forest of curls. Eyes going soft. 

Retracting, Izuku blushes a bit as he mumbles a quick “thank you” and disappears out of the door, leaving a shell-shocked Shinsou to ponder over what just happened. The glass door swinging closed with the ring of a bell. 

* * *

After getting home, Izuku gently and quietly creaks open the door, peering in and listening for any sound of a stir. Letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, Izuku makes his way inside, flopping down on the couch when a sudden wave of exhaustion hits him. 

Remembering what Shinosu had suggested before he ran out on their hang out, Izuku reluctantly pushes himself off the couch with a groan. Making his way to the kitchen. 

Turns out, that food in fact also does not have any taste. Toast feels really spongy and the apples just feel wet and snappy in his mouth. Again, no flavor. Frowning, Izuku throws them away as it’s surprisingly hard (gross) to just eat ‘textures’. 

Going to his room, Izuku flops on the bed. Taking out his phone he gazes at Shinsou’s contact. 

He really didn’t want to leave Shinsou behind, he was really having a good time and felt a sorta ‘click’ with Shinsou that he has never really felt before now. “kinship maybe?” Izuku thinks out loud. Being an emotional and awkward 12 year old that never really had any friends except that brief time with Katsuki and being treated like shit by everyone around him for so long makes Izuku think about what he has missed out on. He thinks he was able to get along and trust Shinsou so well off-the-bat because of their shared experiences, a sort of ‘click’ or ‘bond’ that only they can have. He did briefly mention having bullies too and sucky parents... 

Quickly texting Shinsou that the food experiment was a bust, he lets his fatigue take him off to the realm of sleep.

These past couple of weeks have gone by at an alarmingly fast pace. 

After school, each day Shinsou would text Izuku at lunch to ask if he wanted to hang out. Izuku would accept, and they would go off and do whatever it was that had come to their prepubescent minds. Luckily, Izuku’s mother seemed to be staying out much later recently, hanging out with office friends and whatnot. Now, normally Izuku would be more cautious when his mother came home late because that either meant she had gone out drinking, or was just irritable/tired because she had to stay late. This meant she was more unpredictable and had a more likely chance to target Izuku for ‘stress relief’. However, if her friends were involved, Inko tended to not bother him. This had the added bonus of giving him more free time with Shinsou. 

Now one might ask, “Why would Inko care if Izuku wasn't home since she seemed to hate his guts?” well, Izuku had a hard time answering that one... He guessed it was something to do with Hisashi leaving and Inko’s often comparisons to set her falling off the edge if Izuku was ever not home _before_ Inko. But he digresses. 

Izuku can honestly say this had been the most fun he’d had in a while since Hisahi left and Izuku was declared quirkless. Shinsou is a genuinely great friend to be around if Izuku says so himself. 

They found themselves often hanging out at each other's apartments, playing this new online game called ‘Rising Of The Heroes’, before Izuku would either have to excuse himself from Shinsou’s apartment, or kick him out of his own. Either way, both sides ended up sucking up the positive feelings like some kind of demented sponge and enjoyed themselves to the fullest positivity deprived 12 year olds could. 

That is, until the calm past... 

**Making way for the storm.**

* * *

Staring down at his phone, Shinsou sits with a worried expression on his face. Apprehension ate away at him as the clock ticked by. 

It was a Friday and Midoriya had explained he was going to try and stay the night at Shinsou’s place today as his mother apparently had a short business trip planned for the weekend and was supposed to text him when he was on his way over. 

And while he was still on the topic of Midoriya’s mother, he had some... concerns. It hasn’t been brought up much since they went to the CatCafe, but the little information and clues he had did NOT paint a very pretty picture. 

Firstly, he has the confirmation that his mother is NOT a good person from Midoriya himself. When Midoriya had tried to flee out of the cafe, he had briefly brought up his mother and his face had gotten deathly pale. His eyes were darting all over the place and his air was defensive at best, being absolutely terrified at worst. Not only that, but he saw him rub his arm in an almost ‘nursing’ like manner. Now, he originally thought it was some kind of nervous tick because he was usually very jumpy and skittish-like and showed many other nervous ticks before. However, when they were just lounging around during their hangouts, sometimes he would take off his school top and Shinsou would see scars and bandages running down his arms. He never brought it up, (as to not scare the green bean off) but he still noticed, and he remembered. 

Not only that, but Izuku seems to run on this ‘internal schedule’. They would be in the middle of playing a video game on their laptops or just chatting when all of the sudden, Midoriya would glance at the time and he would either be out of the door, or kicking Shinsou out. It seemed whoever his mother was, was very strict about Midoriya being at home whenever she was. And the way Midoriya’s face would pale, it was NOT a fun time if he wasn’t. 

Shinsou may have not known Midoriya for a terribly long time, but Shinsou already found himself wanting to protect the green bean known only as Midoriya Izuku. He seemed to have a little bit of a sarcastic side that was not unlike Shinsou’s own, and he could tell he had a very kind air about him despite being covered by all the jumpiness, nervousness, and whatnot. Not to mention he was the **first** person to ever not be scared or unsettled by his quirk, genuinely wanting to be his friend. 

Another worrying thing Shinsou has noticed is Midoriya’s... food problem. See, ever since they went to the CatCafe, food had apparently tasted like nothing (except coffee for some reason) and had started to get worse in the form of tasting like utter shit and death to the point that he would physically get sick and puke up everything he ate. If Shinsou was just an outsider looking in, he would assume it was something to do with his quirk. However, Shinsou knows that Midoriya is quirkless. 

Now, one could assume that he just lied, but the sincerity and genuine hurt he sees in Midoriya’s eyes when he admits to it cannot be faked. So, either Midoriya has some weird sickness thing, or he has a quirk he doesn’t know about. Now, Shinsou is personally known for his ability to read people (Which has helped him much in the past with dealing with his peers), so he is confident in his assumption that Midoriya’s mother is 100% abusive, and to top it all off, he thinks there is a very good chance Midoriya has a quirk... 

Or worse... a ‘ **_Quirk Factor_** ’. 

Looking up at his phone again, once again yielding no results, Shinsou lets out a long, strained, wobbly sigh. 

Shinsou was getting worried. 

Midoriya is always good at texting/calling back to Shinsou, especially when they have something planned. And with all the things he already knows about Midoriya, it's not a good sign. 

“Should I go over to Midoriya’s place instead of waiting?” Shinsou asked himself as he stared up at his unresponsive phone. ‘No, no. It’s probably nothing’ he thinks, trying to reassure himself. 

“But what if it’s something to do with his mother...” Shinsou says, his already high concern shooting waaayyyyyyyyyyy up. 

After waiting another solid 15 minutes Shinsou has had enough. His worry is bubbling to a dangerous high and the only thing that could bring it down is if he sees Midoriya is 100% alright with his own eyes. 

Quickly dropping his phone in his pocket, Shinsou puts on his pair of shoes and makes the trek to Midoriya's house. Frantically speed walking and weaving through any pedestrians in his way all the way there. 

* * *

Shinsou is panting hard by the time he makes it to Midoriya’s apartment door. Taking a moment to catch his breath he can't help but feel something is... off. It feels oddly cold, like a chill running up his spine as he goes to knock. He successfully does, and not 5 seconds later who should appear but Midoriya. 

Alarm bells begin ringing off the hinges as he _looks_ at Midoriya. Midoriya’s complexion goes pale beyond anything he has ever seen anyone go before when he lays eyes on Shinsou. Pure, unwavering fear is seemingly radiated off of him. A slight noise could be heard somewhere farther into the apartment that makes Izuku's eyes widen to the size of saucers. 

Suddenly, Shinsou finds himself being quickly pulled inside and roughly shoved into Midoriya’s room, falling to the ground. Before Shinsou has any chance to get out a retort, he hears the door lock with a resounding ‘ **_Click_** ’. Then the world seems to go deathly quiet. 

That's when he hears it. 

**“Izuku~”**

“...” 

**“Who was at the door, Izuku?~”**

Shinsou can barely hear it through the door, but a muffled “N-n-no o-one” reaches Shinsou’s ears. 

It sounds so broken and scared that it makes Shinsou want to cry. The sickeningly sweet tone of a woman’s voice could be heard just beyond the door. The Malicious intent dripping out of the words like venom makes Shinsou’s stomach churn, the verberation of her words seeming to invade every nook and cranny throughout the apartment. 

_And Midoriya was on the other side of the door._

**“Oh really...”**

Shinsou hears the scrambling of feet on the other side of the door for a moment, only to abruptly stop. Fear courses through Shinsou’s soul at what he hears next... 

**“That’s a lie, Izuku... And do you know what happens to liars?”**

Suddenly, Shinsou can hear quiet, soft pleads muffled by the locked door, all coming from Midoriya. Shinsou can't move, hand clasped tightly over his mouth as his eyes widen to the size of Midoriya’s. 

Soft footsteps are heard again, seemingly going further into the apartment, the soft ultra-quiet sobs and pleads going along with it. 

Shinsou’s mind flashes to the cuts/scars he had seen on Midoriya’s arms and realizes (to his horror) that the footsteps are making their way to the kitchen. 

And there is one thing that you almost never cease to find in kitchens... 

Shinsou sees **red.**

Suddenly finding movement back in his legs, Shinsou grabs at the door handle. Vigorously shaking at the handle. When that doesn’t work, hyped up on a sudden boost of adrenaline, Shinsou starts using his body weight to slam against the locked bedroom door. 

This, unfortunately, makes a scene and a LOT of noise. So when Shinsou bangs up against the door for the 4th time, he hears a quick “Who is that?!”, followed by very heavy, very angry footsteps. 

He is about to slam up against the door again when he suddenly hears a very loud, very pained **_screech._ **Calling out for Inko to stop!! 

Then, for a brief moment, everything goes **silent.**

There are no sounds of footsteps 

No pained sobs 

No screams... 

Just beyond the door, the faint muffled wavering of a woman's voice can be heard. 

_“A-A..-a....I-Iz..I...I-Izuku?”_

There’s a very low and **deep,** almost growl that reverberates just beyond the door... 

Then... 

**...**

**_*SQUELCH*_ **

**_..._ **

A faint, resounding _thud_ slices through the silence like a blade to butter. 

Shaking out of his momentary stupor, Shinsou uses all of his strength to bang up against the door One. Last. Time. 

***BANG***

Shinsou comes tumbling out eyes a flurry of movements before going _haunted_ as he looks at the scene in front of him. 

There, in the center of the hallway in between the living room and kitchen, stands Midoriya Izuku. 

Hair as white as freshly fallen snow adorns the used to be pine forest green that it once was... 

Sclera of the darkest void.. irises a deep, almost glowing blood red.... 

Four, blood red muscle like tendrils that seem to flow out Midoriya’s back in a _twisted_ dance... 

The Midoriya Izuku that was only but a few moments before, scared of the slightest of sounds and the wrath of his _mother_... 

Standing over her mangled corpse. 

Staining the floor **Crimson,** as he **_ate_ ** away at her **flesh and bone...**

Looking up from the result of his ravenous episode, blown red eyes lock with haunted lavender... 

Looking down at his hands, Izuku’s form starts to violently shake, blood dripping from his mouth as he starts to pant, desperate for air... 

Curling in on himself, Izuku **SCREAMS**

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOO! Im back once again! 
> 
> This chapter took me longer to make than it probably should have, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT??? I DON'T GIVE A SHIT BECAUSE IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!! 
> 
> One thing though thats been on my mind recently is the a idea of chapter "shorts" at either the beginning or ending of the chapters. I've seen it done in some other FanFics and I was like "HEY! I WANNA DO THAT TOO!" The only problem is that I have like 0 solid ideas for any sooooooooo. Here is my very relevant predicament that I thought EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW! So basically, expect to maybe possibly have little 'shorts' in the chapters to look out for in the future! Also I think I totally nailed the 'fever dream' at the beginning of the chapter, correct me if I'm wrong! 
> 
> Also! One last thing! I've been hesitant to add this for a while now, but I've been wanting to maybe add in a Shinsou/Midoriya for a little more spice! The thing is, I've got no idea how to write that stuff and it might get in the way of the plot, but I also know that if it's done right it might enhance the plot so WHO KNOWS?!? I'VE EVEN ALREADY STARTED HINTING!! 
> 
> For anyone who is interested in ~symbolism~, I'd like to talk about Izuku's 'ghoul form' and I'm here to inform you that intact, yes, I did make Izuku's hair white in the end and anyone who complains about it IS WRONG! my thinking was along the lines of the snow of the unforgiving winter 'covering' the green pine needles of the trees as the seasons changed from fall (kinda sucks but not terrible) to winter (Hard times ahead baby!). There also might be some 'Marie Antoinette syndrome' in there BUT WE ALL KNOW THIS ALREADY! 
> 
> The songs I used:
> 
> for the 'fever dream' scene- ( Blood on My Name )


	3. The Great And Terrible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs I used-
> 
> Aviators- No one will save you now
> 
> https://youtu.be/DqdyyxdZ4cQ

Izuku had been waiting patiently to get to his phone. He was planning on telling Shinsou he was heading over for their sleepover when he heard the door open. 

Idiotically, on his part, Izuku had stupidly left his phone on the kitchen table while finishing up some quirk analysis in his journal when his mother walked in. apparently, her business trip was rescheduled to tomorrow last minute due to some transportation complications...

So, here he was. Waiting for Inko to leave the living room so he could safely retrieve his phone after what was most likely an annoying day at work judging by her current predicament. 

That is, until he heard the door knock.

Making swift work of the sudden ‘annoyance’ he opened the door only to go ghostly pale when he saw who was on the other side.

He couldn’t be here. He  **shouldn’t** BE HERE. Izuku may be able to somewhat handle his natural disaster-esc mother, but Shinsou didn’t know.

He didn’t know what Inko was like when she was angry. 

Thinking quickly, Izuku pulled a startled Shinsou into the apartment and basically threw him into his room in a desperate haze. Locking the door for good measure. 

Hands still clasped tightly on the door handle, Izuku hears it. 

**“Izuku~”**

Izuku froze in place, head slowly turning toward the living room, eyes wavering with a glossy look.

**“Who was at the door, Izuku?~”**

Swallowing thickly, Izuku answers with a fearful, stuttery “No one” before small tears start to quietly stream down his face. 

**“Oh really…”**

**“That’s a lie, Izuku... And do you know what happens to liars?”**

Legs getting weak, Izuku silently trembles as he softly slides down to the ground, barely making a sound as he watches Inko ‘calmly’ walking towards him.

“p-p-please n-no, p-lease… I-i’m sorry I'm sorry imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry” Izuku whispers, voice a crackling and stuttering mess. The footsteps loom ever closer.

Using her quirk to pull Izuku up off the ground, she starts dragging him by his shirt sleeve towards the kitchen…

**Towards the knife box**

That’s when Izuku and Inko heard it. 

***BANG***

Both jumping at the abrupt sound, Izuku and Inko whirl around to face Izuku’s bedroom door.

***BANG***

‘Shinsou, what are you doing?!?’ Izuku mentally exclaims as he starts to panic. Eyes widening to impossible degrees as he watches Inko’s expression change from surprised, to angry in a matter of seconds.

**_Budump_ **

Everything suddenly seems to go into slow motion as he watches Inko make her way over to his bedroom…

_ Where Shinsou is _

**_Budump_ **

Reaching out to Inko to try and make her stop, Izuku suddenly clutches his chest as he is hit with an indescribable amount of  _ pressure _ that seemingly came out of nowhere. 

**_Budump_ **

Falling to his knees and vision starting to swim, Izuku looks up at the receding, fuzzy form of Inko as she makes her way towards Shinsou…

no…

**_Budump_ **

Not Shinsou too…

**_Budump_ **

Anything but Shinsou…

**_Budump_ **

No

**_Budump_ **

I won’t let you!

**_Budump-Budump-Budump-Budump-BudumpBudump-Budump-Budump-Budump-Budump-Budump_ **

“stooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!” Izuku lets out a glass shattering screech as he reaches out to Inko, desperate to stop her. 

During his wail of a war cry, he didn't even notice how his body started to heat up to  _ scorching _ levels.

A familiar white hot blazing pain flares up inside Izuku as he screams, billowing embers trying to push themselves out as he grunts out a strained noise that almost sounded like a growl. 

Suddenly, Izuku is back in the void of nothing as he stares at the blazing, blood red form of Wolf. Smile ever present on its all knowing, almost smug face. 

_ “You started to hate what was happening to you, you started becoming aware as time grew ever longer. But you still took it. And for what?” _

Hot tears stream down his face as Izuku squeezes his eyes shut, working his sore vocal cords raw.

**...**

_ “Because you're still  _ **_weak_ ** _.” _

**…**

**Izuku sees RED**

  
  


* * *

  
  


*Mustafu news is back to present more information about the recent quirk research center bust known to be researching what you all know as ‘Quirk factor’*

  
  


**_There’s a searing pain coming from my back, like something is trying to push out and forcefully tear it open…_ **

**_it hurts so much..._ **

  
  


*Though ‘Quirk factor’ is a relatively new study, anyone who had ever shown signs of having one all have something in common…*

  
  


**_Inko has stopped now, looking at me with wide and fearful eyes…_ **

  
  


*All quirks appearing seemed to exist purely to protect the person, and to hurt*

  
  


**_Why are you looking at me like that? Shouldn’t it be the other way around…_ **

  
  


*Basically, the quirks seem to always be designed to harm other people in some way, kinda like how a predator can have sharp teeth and claws to act as weapons. For example, one of the 6 quirkless persons had developed a quirk that could create a sudden puff of ash that shot out of the person's sweat pores that can clog up people’s lungs and can get to temperatures hot enough to soften metal, the flare up only happening if the person was startled or scared.*

  
  


**_It’s so dark, yet too bright at the same time… I can’t focus… My blood is on fire and my head hurts..._ **

**_What was I doing again…?_ **

  
  
  


*Another developed more ‘animalistic’ tendencies, developing long sharp fangs that dripped dangerous poisons and would turn somewhat feral. The quirk was deemed a transformation type because the person would briefly turn into a ‘snake like beast’ after getting spooked or startled*

  
  


**_Oh yeah… That’s right… I need to… I need to get to Shinsou!_ **

**_I can’t let him get hurt… Not him...._ **

  
  


*Fortunately, though slightly more dangerous than your average quirk, all new quirk developers have been able to gain decent reign in their quirks over time. Essentially, they aren't too different from ‘regular’ quirks as other quirks can be just as dangerous if used for the wrong reasons or get out of control. However, ‘Quirk factor’ quirks are so dangerous because not only are they always inherently destructive, they are very ‘loose’ and hard to control, especially when emotions are high. And considering the  _ conditions _ the testers were found in, emotions are a thing being flung around.*

  
  


**_No, I'm not going to let her... I’m not going to let her hurt others anymore_ **

**_If she wont stop... then… Then I’ll MAKE HER_ **

  
  


*Well, I’d say that's a good spot to wrap this up! Good day and good night to all the people of mustafu, we will now be cutting off!* 

  
  


**4 large red flowy tendril-like things shoot out toward Inko, 2 of them piercing her shoulders as she stood just outside of my bedroom door…** **_Where Shinsou is_ **

**Before she even had the time to let out a** **_sound_ ** **, they pull her away from the door as a 3rd tendril is swiftly stabbed into her chest. Piercing right through and coming out the other end…**

**_My mind is fuzzy, I can't think… I can’t THINK! I need to get her away from Shinsou! I can’t let her do those terrible things… Not again..._ **

**Never again**

**Mind going blank, the distant taste of iron fills my mouth as Inko is cleaved apart. Crimson blood splattering all over the hardwood floor, slowly dripping from the already red tendrils as they** **_rip_ ** **and** **_tear_ ** **the undeserved life away from Inko’s iron grip.**

**I can’t think**

**I don’t WANT to think**

**That is… until...**

**...**

***BANG***

A blur of lavender comes tumbling out of Izuku’s room, eyes swiftly flickering around trying to find  _ something _ until they lock onto Izuku’s. 

A wave of fear seemingly crashed onto Shinsou as his eyes blew wide,  _ haunted _ by whatever they saw. His hand reaching up to cover his mouth as his already blown eyes quiver. 

Slightly coming to his senses, Izuku looks down at his almost violently shaking hands. They are stained, dripping with blood as he slowly registers the strong taste of iron in his mouth. Eyes starting to quiver, twitching ever so slightly, Izuku can feel his breathing escalate as a drop of blood joins the rest of the pool currently on his hands. 

_ Dripping from his mouth _

Beyond his hands he sees Inko laying on the ground in front of him. Unmoving. Her form is terribly mangled and one could hardly even recognize her if not for the dark green hair still sitting on her head. 

Finally realizing what he has done, Izuku tucks his arms around him in a pitiful attempt to hug himself as he hyperventilates, Inko’s blood starting to reach his knees. 

Panting and crying hard, Izuku  _ weeps _ . His already abused throat letting out every sound it can muster in a hysterical wail with everything Izuku can muster. Salty tears joining in with the blood that slowly pools around him. 

Shaking violently as he screams, Izuku would have gone on for an eternity if it wasn’t for the sudden weight that breaks him out of his borderline manic stupor…

  
  


**Shinsou**

Catching his breath and looking up from his hunched position, he finds Shinsou. His long arms wrap around the impossibly small form of Izuku as he basically stuffs his face into Izuku’s newly snowy white hair. 

Crying along with him, Shinsou holds Izuku close. Barely even registering his clothes becoming dirtied with the blood of that  _ disgusting _ witch. He was so scared… SO scared at that moment. Scared about what Midori- no, Izuku’s mother would do. Scared of Izuku getting hurt while he was locked in his room. Scared of what Izuku had just done… 

But he  _ knows _ Izuku. He knows that never in a million years would Izuku hurt  _ him _ . He knows how genuinely caring Izuku can be. He knows how his humor became more and more like his own as they hung out together. He knows how Izuku had never once been scared or uncomfortable by his ‘villainous’ quirk. He knows, He knows better than anyone...

That this was NOT Izuku… At least, not really.

And about how ‘scary’ a quirk may seem…

So, he did the only thing he knew what to do in this situation, and he hugged him. He stepped over the slightly devouerd and mangled Inko, dropping down to his knees in her pool of blood and hugged him as tightly as he could. Hiding his wobbly and shaky eyes in his frosty and curly pure white hair…

Shinsou was scared… But that doesn’t matter, not when Izuku was on the ground crying his eyes out. Not When his first and  _ only _ friend needed him the most. Not when Izuku had literally sprouted a quirk from his back trying to save  _ him _ from his ‘mother’...

So that's what they do

They hug and they cry, wrapped in eachothers arms as they try to process what the HELL just happened. Two 12 year olds covered in blood as they are slapped into a world of people who would metaphorically HUNT THEM DOWN AND EAT THEM ALIVE for something they cannot control… 

It doesn't matter how fucked up the situation is. It doesn’t matter how much they had already been through. The fact still remains that Izuku  **ate** his ‘mother’. It doesn’t matter… It doesn’t. 

As far as Shinsou is concerned, adults have never been trustworthy. Izuku’s mother is a prime example. Shinsou would bet everything that’s good Izuku’s mother was so abusive because he was quirkless. He would also do the same for every other person who turned a blind eye, who beat the already beaten down to make themselves feel what? Better? More superior? Shinsou himself has had teachers turn around and act like nothing happened when he gets punched or kicked, his own family left him behind to work abroad just to get away from him, even if they did not outwardly say so. He knew.

If going by the way society had already treated both Shinsou and Izuku, going by how they thought  _ Shinsou’s _ quirk was villainous, they would  **DESTROY** Izuku before he even had the chance to cry out a plea. 

Because how could someone that just  **ate** another human being be human at all? They wouldn’t deserve to run around free in this oh so  _ beautiful _ society of quirks/superpowers. They would be considered  **monsters** , they would be hunted down and thrown into some quirk institute somewhere. They would be shunned and  **feared** and for what? Something Izuku can’t control? 

Shinsou  **couldn’t** let that happen... NOT to Izuku

At that moment, Shinsou made up his mind. As he held Izuku close to his chest as he shook like a leaf, he would help Izuku like he helped him…

**No matter what.**

  
  


* * *

  
  


After what felt like an eternity, Shinsou breaks off from his and Izuku’s embrace. With the wails ceasing and tears running dry, Shinsou finally got to have a look at Izuku. 

He was covered in blood. Tear stains decorating an already red face, a splattering of blood marks seemed to litter his face, the most of it being centered around his mouth. You wouldn’t even notice the light dusting of freckles that sit on a ghostly pale face when you notice the absolutely  _ dead _ look that glossed over his green pupils, or maybe it was just an utterly  _ tired _ look. Shinsou couldn’t tell. 

That was another thing, when Shinsou first saw Izuku, he had a black sclera and red pupils instead of his usual green. Not to mention the 4 giant red tendrils that seemed to dance out of his back.

Letting out a deep sigh, Shinsou put both his hands on Izuku’s shoulders, slightly shaking him. He was clearly not really there right now and they  _ both _ needed to get cleaned up. They couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, no matter how much they both wanted to. There was a job to get done. 

Izuku, eyes still empty and hollow, looked up at Shinsou. He felt utterly and totally  **done** . He was tired, everything hurt, and he just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry forever onward. But even in this trance like state, even with all the bullshit that had recently happened still fresh in his memory, he still knew. 

“Common Izuku, we have to get cleaned up and get out of here… I know you probably don’t want to right now, but…” Shinsou bit his bottom lip, eyebrows knotting together as he looked off to the side at Inko’s mangled corpse as he lightly shook him. 

“I'm sorry…” said a voice so soft and quiet that if it wasn’t so silent you wouldn’t catch it.

“Hm?” Shinsou looked back over at Izuku.

“I-I’m s-s-sorry for w-wrapping y-y-you up I-in this. I d-didn’t, I-I didn’t… you should go. F-forget a-a-about me a-and b-become a h-hero like you want-” Izuku was cut off by a finger going in front of his mouth, effectively shutting him up. 

“Nope, we are not goin’ down that rabbit hole today. You remember when you said that you didn’t care about my quirk being brainwashing and even told me I could be a hero with it?” Shinsou asked, getting a small nod as confirmation to continue. 

“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but... back then, that meant a whole lot to me. You were the first person who said that I could do it, that I could be a hero with that quirk I mean…” Shinsou said with a matter-of-fact tone, face full of sincerity. Hand rubbing at his neck. 

“What I'm trying to say is that… I’ve got your back, ‘kay? So don’t go tryin’ to get rid of me when I want to help you, too.” He finished, looking back down at Izuku, only to falter at what he saw. 

Izuku was full out crying again, but it was different from earlier. Earlier, it felt like the world was closing in and that he would never find a way out again. But now, now he has Shinsou to help him. Now he has someone who will stay with him no matter how rough. The fact that he is standing there reassuring him as such instead of running in the other direction is proof of that…

As Shinsou was frantically trying to find out what he did wrong, Izuku suddenly breaks out laughing. It’s not a happy laugh, but it’s not necessarily a sad one either. Just simply, a tired one. One that has seen hell and back, and probably getting ready to jump on in again, but also one that knows that there is someone there to do it with him. The proof of a better tomorrow, no matter how sucky it chooses to be.

Letting his laughter die down into a steady chuckle, before completely disappearing into a sigh, he looks up at Shinsou one last time who is currently sporting the best wtf face he has ever laid to witness. Wiping his eyes (not really caring how it smudged the blood), he gives Shinsou a small smile. One of genuine gratitude and thanks, one that could never be put into words. 

Because Izuku has the bestised friend in the whole wide world standing right infront of him.

* * *

  
  


Moving swiftly, Izuku and Shinsou start to clean up as much as they can. While Izuku takes a shower to try and get the blood off, Shinsou is taking both of their bloody clothes and stuffing them in the garbage on the side of the apartment complex. As much as they would like to somehow get rid of Inko’s body too, it’s unfortunately too heavy and dragging it down the complex’s flights of stairs would probably garner a lot of unwanted attention. So instead, they are opting to just leave Inko there while trying to get rid of any possible incriminating evidence. 

Finishing up with his shower, Izuku swaps with Shinsou. Sparing a brief glance at his deceased ‘mother’, he starts looting the house for stuff like money and other things he may need. Packing up a sizable backpack with stuff like an extra pair of clothes, his notebooks, and  107,735 yen (1000 US dollars) , he finishes up just in time for Shinsou to come out of the shower, sporting some borrowed clothes courtesy of Izuku.

“Should I take my mom’s laptop and my phone?” Izuku suddenly asks

“I wouldn't, I would figure the police would be able to track that stuff. You can borrow my laptop for whatever…”

Once they both thoroughly swept the place, with hoods up and faces relatively hidden, both Shinsou and Izuku nodded at each other before lighting a match and dropping it on the ground, setting the wooden floor ablaze. Sparing one last glance at the apartment before heading out, the pair leave through the fire escape (making sure to re-close the window). While making the trek to Shinsou’s apartment, smoke can be seen billowing from a distance as the duo get further and further away. 

* * *

  
  


Finally arriving at Shinsou’s apartment, Izuku sets his bag down on the floor by the couch and unceremoniously flops onto it face down. Groaning into the cushions, he turns his head to face Shinsou who has something unreadable on his face. Eyebrows scrunching, he turns to face forward instead, resting his chin on top of a cushion as they sit in content silence. 

That is… 

Until he feels a heavy weight on him.

Infact, that heavy weight was indeed, Shinsou.

**Using Izuku as a couch cushion**

Gracing a long suffering dead-panned face for a couple seconds, Izuku starts objecting greatly to his  _ unfortunate _ fate. Kicking and wiggling, Izuku is ultimately unable to bring down Shinsou’s mighty wrath. 

Sighing deeply, Izuku begrudgingly submitted to his ultimate fate as Shinsou’s new couch cushion. A few more seconds pass before they both abruptly burst out laughing. 

Good natured laughter fills the apartment for a good while, at some point the trial of the couch cushion evolves into an all out sofa brawl as the two friends wrestle  _ to the death _ . Ultimately, though admittedly unfortunate, they call a stalemate. Panting and giggling, they both lay on their backs. 

“Feelin’ better now?” Shinsou asks in between pants, a grin splitting across his face.

Slightly shocked at the revelation, Izuku glances over at Shinsou as he stares up at the ceiling. 

“Hah, I figured we should try and end the day on a high note… yeah know?” Chuckling a little to himself, Shinsou lets out a heavy sigh. 

Humming in agreement, Izuku sports his own grin as he turns back to the ceiling before suddenly looking contemplative. 

“Y-yeah know, I-I’ve been thinking… There is no way w-we will be able to be heroes now…” Izuku said in a somber tone, a smile never leaving his face.

Suddenly losing his grin, it’s Shinsou turn to look over at Izuku. 

“Aww c'mon man, did you even hear what I said?” Shinsou sighed (they’ve been doing that a lot lately) grin briefly returning to his face before having somewhat of a revelation, eyes widening slightly.

“That’s not necessarily true…” Shinsou ponders as Izuku glances over in confusion. 

“I'm assuming that your new quirk only lets you eat human judging by your severe reaction towards anything else…”

“Except coffee” Izuku helpfully tacks

“Except coffee... wow it’s weird how casual this conversation is.” Shinsou unhelpfully points out.

Suddenly becoming slightly bashful, Izuku looks away with a small “sorry” before Shinsou continues.

“Anyway, have you ever heard of vigilantes?” At that, Izuku's eyes widened in recognition and understanding. 

“Yeah, I think we should do that… I’d also like to bring up how we would deal with your… diet restrictions... BUT, I think that's a conversation for tomorrow.” Shinsou states before hopping up off the floor, walking over to Izuku and holding out a hand.

“For now though, I personally want this really shitty day to end… so, what do you say we head to bed?” Shinsou said as Izuku grabbed his hand, getting hoisted up. 

“I-I for one, whole heartedly agree… T-though, there is one more thing…” Izuku drawls, a mischievous smirk dawning on his face.

“What’s with the sudden change from ‘Midoriya’ to ‘Izuku’?” 

Suddenly going hot with embarrassment, Shinsou starts to desperately try and explain himself. 

“W-w-w-well, I figured that you didn't want to be tied to your mother anymore soooooooo…” Shinosu chuckles a little  _ too _ loudly while rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

Chuckling to himself, Izuku goes up to Shinsou and suddenly pulls him into a quick hug. 

“It’s fine Shinsou, I-I actually really appreciate it... Is-is it okay with you if I call you Hitoshi too?” Izuku asks as he pulls away, looking up at him expectantly.

Somehow getting even more flustered, Shins- Hitoshi looks like he’s about to say something before ultimately looking to the side and giving Izuku a small nod, earning him a small smile from the short, white haired boy. 

Standing on their last legs, both boys drag themselves to Hotoshi’s room. Izuku falling flat onto the spare futon, falling asleep instantaneously. While Shinsou at the very least gets under his covers before joining Izuku and drifting off into the realm of sleep. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Red and blue lights flicker in front of a partially burnt apartment complex as cops flood the surrounding areas helping out the people who live in it before another car pulls up.

Stepping out of the police cruiser is a man in a tan trench coat and fedora, being greeted by one of the surrounding officers. 

“Glad you could make it detective!” The officer greets

“It’s no problem. So, what's the situation? Are there any casualties?”

“Only one confermed death. The deceased is Midoriya Inko. We’ve been told by neighbors that she also has a son, but we have been unable to find any trace of the boy. So, we were just going to file in the report that he also died in the fire.”

“So, you’re saying there's a possibility the boy got out and is alive?” Tsukauchi states simply, a smile never leaving his face.

“Uhhmmm, yes and no...” the officer replies, sweating a little. “The window that leads to the fire escape was found closed, and any security camera footage that would have shown him getting out was burned and salvageable surrounding footage saw nothing of the boy… And anyway, wouldn't the kid be hanging around after his apartment burned down?” The officer drawls stiffly, trying to save himself.

“Are you just going to discredit the possibility that the child got spooked and is hiding somewhere? Or maybe he was hanging out with a friend and just hasn’t come home yet? It is the starting of the weekend, after all.”

“Well, I heard that the kid was quirkless, so….” The officer mumbles under his breath, hoping against all hope the detective couldn’t hear him.

He did.

“What was that? Officer?” Tsukauchi leans in a bit, his smile going a bit wider.

“Nothing Sir! We will go file a missing child report RIGHT AWAY!!” The officer suddenly perks, talking a bit louder than necessary. 

“No, I will personally be filing that report as I simply don’t trust you to file it properly. It will be my personal case” Tsukauchi chirps. Staring down the incometent cop, making him squirm under his gaze. 

‘I hope the kid pops up soon. As much as I hate to admit it, It’s entirely possible the kid died in the fire. However, from what i’ve seen there are numerous other things that majorly discredit it, like how the apartment hasn’t completely toppled. Though, the longer the kid is away, the harder it will be to find him…’ Tsukauchi thinks to himself. He has always had a soft spot for kids and barely, if ever did he not discount the possibility that they were alive if not specifically found dead. However, he does acknowledge he has a small pile of stale ‘missing kid’ cases on his desk and he genuinely hopes this kid won’t become part of it.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES!! CHAPTER #3 IS NOW DONE!!!!! but you already knew that...
> 
> well then, ANYWAY! I'm actually really happy with how this chapter turned out. I was really tangling with how I wanted to do Izuku's perspective on this one... Mostly because I would think everyone would expect the classic KILL KILL KILL inner chant thing or something along those lines, but honestly? I think thats usually boring. Not saying anyone who writes a scene like that is wrong per say- I just think its kinda uninteresting and does not make a WHOLE lot of sense to me. If that makes any sense??? I wanted to try something a bit different. So instead of making the inner turmoil 'chant stuffs' as direct as that, I wanted to make it more... disorienting? is that the right word? ANYWAY! I would think that something as crazy as our boi Izuku's quirk coming in would be grating and mess him the HELL UP. But we also have to remember the 'final push' that made it fully come in the first place. SHINSOU! In that moment, Izuku was desperate to help Shinsou and fight his mother, even when he is super scared and submissive of her. 
> 
> I also think that putting a news segment (Don't know if you can tell, but I'm fond of them) over the internal weirdness that Izuku is experiencing was the right call... It gives you more info about 'Quirk Factor' while also showing how jarring it is for it to happen to someone. Cause at some point during it Izuku actually forgot what we was even doing and what was happening. Not kinda, not sorta, he GENUINELY FORGOT! I would think that would be terrifying, well at least to me.
> 
> HOPE YOU ENJOYED CHAPTER #3!!! I would also like to say before I go that I read EVERY comment I get and I love getting feedback. If I don't respond, its because I don't really know how, but know that I do see and appreciate them all fam!!!
> 
> end tangent.


	4. Izuku Visual!!!

I apologise for any delays on the next chapter "Necessity Has No Law'. I have been revising future plot points and story arcs that happen later on in the story. I've been trying to avoid any 'weird stuff', 'odd pacing', and all the junk. I want to put out the best chapters that I can, and I genuinely hope that the chapters I put out make sense and are enjoyable to read.  
So as a sort of apology, I drew this Izuku visual that shows a bit older version of Izuku. This is around the time of UA in cannon, so he is about 15ish. I can't wait to upload the next chapter when I'm done with it and I hope everyone reading enjoys as well. :)


	5. Necessity Has No Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just opened up a Discord Server!
> 
> [Murder Of Crows](https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE)
> 
> If anything is weird with the link, tell me!

  
  


Distant screaming could be heard reverberating off the buildings all across downtown. Smoldering smoke fills the blue sky as fire burns the city streets below, all the while civilians run in all directions as heroes on scene try and maintain some semblance of order. 

“WOAH!! WATCH IT MAN! Geeze…” Screamed a hero in a dark blue jumpsuit as he just barely dodges the fiery fury of a giant, churning fireball.

‘...’

“Hmph! Not even an ‘I’m sorry’…” The hero bitterly mumbles as he goes back to spraying the surrounding areas with a steady stream of watery, fluffy white sea foam. 

Just as the words leave the guy’s mouth, another fire ball comes shooting forward, as well as a blur of dark red, orange, and black. Distant screams of indignation can be heard, as the figure disappears further into the currently flaming downtown area of the city. 

As the blur runs forward, disfigured/crumbling buildings can be seen as debris is strewn about around the streets. Almost like specific bits and pieces were torn out of the buildings themselves as the fire becomes more and more rampant. 

That’s when he sees it

A giant metallic hand comes sweeping in from the heavens, intent clear as the surrounding buildings crumble and explode. All the while, metallic pieces fly up towards the hand and join its leaden cousin. 

As bits of building debris fall to the ground below, the figure swiftly dodges as it makes its way through all building bits and dust, towards the source of the current panic. 

As the blur gets closer and closer, the metallic hand starts becoming erratic. Trying everything it can to stop, or even slow the hero down. In a frenzied panic, the hand splits apart all the way down the length of its arm as it tears itself into five tendrils that hastily shoot forward, trying to stop the hero from foiling their current downtown terrorizing. 

The hero smirks

Smoke starts to leak from the figures mouth, joining the rest of the surrounding soot as a white hot fire roars beneath. Just as the sharp-pointed tendrils seem like they’ll hit their mark, the churning, blazing embers make themselves known as they blast forward in a torrent of scorching flames. As the metal softens, a hole is formed in between the mangle mess of the metal tendrils and another, light grey haired figure is revealed. 

Horror and panic plasters all over the offender’s face as she comes face to face with the smirking form of the Fire Breathing Hero: Inferno as he shoots out the end of his own stream of fire. Before the villain has any time to react, her face unhappily meets a fist full of brass knuckles, effectively ending the fight, as her form crumples to the ground below. Unconscious. 

From behind, the metallic tendrils can be seen slightly curling in on themselves as the hole Inferno made steams. An almost manic smirk still splitting his face. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Taking off what looks like fiery orange tinted ski goggles, a slightly tanned hand adorning fingerless gloves and brass knuckles gently sets them down on the kitchen table.

Letting out a very loud sigh, Hisashi flops himself down on his couch and grabs the TV remote.

“What a long day… I was finally able to take down that son of a bitch ‘Alloy’, or whatever her name was.” A small smirk finds its way back to Hisashi’s face as he remembers fondly of the day's events. “Though, I am a little disappointed it ended so quickly. An evasive one, I'll give her that..”

Flipping on the TV for some mindless background noise and putting up his hands to rest behind his head, Hisashi rests his eyes for a bit as he sits contently on his couch in his decently large apartment. Small smirk ever resting on his freckled face...

  
  


**…**

**...**

**...** *”In the city of Musutafu japan, an illegal research study was recently found conducting experiments on human and quirk relations. More specifically how they appear. Using pre-existing knowledge and data before and after quirks appear at age 4, They spread out, deciding to conduct studies on the declared-

**Quirkless**

Hisahi opens his eyes

Sparing a glance out of the large nearby window, Hisashi sees the city lights illuminate an otherwise pitch black night. Moon shining bright. 

‘...Did I fall asleep?” Hisashi numbly thinks as he suddenly lets out a yawn. ‘Why is the news talking about the ***Yawn*** quirkless…’ Hisashi thinks slightly bitterly as he goes to turn the TV off.

That is, before he stops. 

Eyes slightly widening, he starts to read what this new story is _really_ about. 

*”Though the people who were experimented on were volunteers, the study was deemed illegal and inhumane in the eyes of the law. These experiments were mainly focused on if the quirkless can still have a **‘Quirk Factor’.”***

What is-

*”Out of the 78 volenteers, only 6 had been deemed to have a ‘ **Quirk Factor’.** This refers to a quirk only being activated in a stressful environment as a safety precaution. I.E. , regular quirks naturally come in at the age of 4. However, people who are **‘Quirkless’** , but have a **‘Quirk Factor’** develop a quirk when the person is put through high amounts of stress instead of at the usual age of 4”*

*”People who have a ‘ **Quirk Factor’** and develop a quirk usually don’t have a quirk related to their parent’s. This could be because the **‘Quirk factor’** is a type of mutation, but the answer is still unknown. Studies were shut down after authorities found out about the foul practices used to induce a quirk to appear-

Hisashi hit ‘pause’.

Staring at the paused TV screen with a blank face, he thinks _back..._

**_“Hey honey, glad you made it back early today. How was work?”_ **

**_“Izuku is doing fine… He and my friend Mitsuki’s boy seem to get along well”_ **

**_“DAD! Did you know Kacchan’s quirk came in today?! It’s explosions! Kinda like your fire! I hope mine is as cool as that!”_ **

**_“No, Izuku’s quirk has not come in yet… I fear for that boy you know, Hisashi?”_ **

**_“_ ** **_Excuse me, but you’re fourth generation, right, ma’am? Normally, by age four, he would have manifested one of those quirks, or some combination of the two._ **

**_You can see by looking at this x-ray that Izuku has_ ** **_two toe joints…_ **

**_It’s unusual to see that these days, but that means_ ** **_he has no quirk…”_ **

Grimacing, Hisashi remembers how that bastard of a doctor stated such a terrible thing to his face. Clear as day...

**_“Izuku is Quirkless”_ **

Oh, how he wanted to punch that asshole in the face for saying such lies…

How could he have created someone that was powerless? Someone who was **weak?**

They were both 4th gen quirk users, it shouldn’t have been possible…

But, as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months… The truth finally seemed to rear its ugly head in Hisashi’s mind. 

His son was **Quirkless.**

He could not believe it. How could this have happened…?

At first, he thought Izuku was just defective and that was that. So he started taking his frustrations out on him 

**_“Quirkless are a menace to society! They are weak, they are powerless! Did you want to make me look like a fool?!?_ **

**_“Why did you have to make me look weak?!?”_ **

**_“Oh come on, it couldn’t have hurt that much. Just shows how incapable you are”_ **

But as the days and weeks moved on, he started thinking a bit differently.

**“It must have been Inko”** Hisahsi thought.

**“I was willing to let it slide that her quirk was a bit weaker than I would have liked… But clearly I was...** **_mistaken._ ** **”** That’s when Hisashi decided to leave his family behind and work in America. He had recently left the hero agency he worked for anyway because they were always on his back about “not using your power responsibility” or “your always so rough with civilians, don’t make your accidental injuries rise anymore, or the commission will be called” or some bullshit like that. Honestly he didn’t see any of the stuff he did as a problem. So, he dropped it

Hisashi had cut off all ties to his family. Shortly after he left he filed papers for divorce (that Inko was more than happy to sign for some reason), cut off all possible contacts, and only sent them a bit of money through someone else as a sorta ‘tribute’ to what they could have been. But alas. 

Inko was a lot easier to give up, but for some reason Izuku wasn’t. He would find himself thinking about him constantly, how good he could have been if he’d just have power...

**“Why couldn’t he have just gotten the Pyrokinesis quirk I wanted him to get…”**

**“Why couldn’t he have just gotten MY quirk for fuck sakes…”**

**“At this point, I would have even taken INKO’S!!!”**

Hisashi would never say it out loud, but he wanted his son back. He wanted to continue his rise in power and a powerful child was just the thing to do that with.

But he couldn’t associate himself with _weaklings_. Someone quirkless can't become powerful, so there is no point...

Hisashi contemplated having another go at the ‘genetic lottery’ with some other woman, but something was always holding him back…

Maybe he finally found what that _something_ was…

“Maybe this ‘Quirk Factor’ research is something to look into… “ Hisashi thought as he pressed ‘play’ on the remote.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“NO!! GODDAMNIT! Nononono go back! GO BACK! USE A POTION!!!! USE A POTION!!!!!!

NOOOOO WRONG POTION!!!!”  
  


Aggressive clickings and tappings of keyboards can be heard resounding off the walls of the small apartment complex. 

“IZUKU, I NEED TO BE HEALED!!!! 

IZUKU! IM GONNA DIE!!!!

“I'M SORRY HITOSHI, BUT I'M KINDA BACKED UP HERE!!! Izuku says, currently fending off a hoard of lizard men.

“IT WAS YOUR IDEA TO GO INTO THE SWAMPS IN THE FIRST PLACE HITOSHI!!

“WELL I'M SORRY I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS GOING TO BE AN ENTIRE RAID PARTY OF LIZARDMEN!!!

“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!

They both ended up dying in _very_ pitiful ways…

“Look Izuku, I'm just saying we would have BOTH gotten out of there if you hadn’t let the lizard men corner you like that!” Shinsou chastises, but Izuku just shakes his head. 

“Hitoshi, you're the one who got distracted and let like 3 of them escape back to their camp! If more of them hadn’t come out of nowhere, then I wouldn't have gotten backed up like that!!!” 

  
The two friends go back and forth like this for a bit. In the end though, they call a truce and say they _both_ screwed up. 

“Izuku, I'm not dissing you for your choices… but why do you always go with the shield?”

“The shield is the most versatile. It’s harder to grind monsters at the beginning, but once you get to a certain level, the shield is the best weapon to use.” Izuku says with his arms crossed. Enlightening this naive one who always goes with the sword. 

“I suppose that makes sense… There are a lot of times you’ve saved my ass by throwing up a shield spell last minute.” 

“See?” 

It had been about a couple weeks since the… _Incident_ … but both Hitoshi and Izuku have been going strong.

Kinda.

At the beginning, Izuku had a lot of ‘spells’ that included trying to hurt himself in any way possible while also hyperventilating and panicking to the point Hitoshi thought he would explode. It was strange because they seemed to just come out of nowhere. 

Hardly any buildup

Hardly any sign

I was almost like a switch was flipped

One second, Izuku and Hitoshi would be chillin’, another second and Izuku starts hyperventilating and sporadically trying to find any harmful substance imaginable, only for them to be ineffective. Frantically muttering and sputtering about how much of a _monster_ he is. How he is a villain, someone bad...

**How he shouldn’t even be alive.**

It hurts Hitoshi’s heart every time

He knew that they would BOTH have a bunch of new emotional baggage now to add to the load, he has _his_ episodes too. Sometimes he has dreams of what would happen if izuku hadn’t gone all batshit. Sometimes he sees izuku crumpled on the ground dying because Hitoshi was too late. Sometimes he hears the sickly _sweet_ haunting of Inko’s words. Making him wake up with wet eyes and a sore throat.

And Izuku is always there to help him through his nightmares the same way he is to him. 

The two friends have become inseparable. Bonded not only with the kinship of terrible peers and terrible parents, but also with an event so disturbing it's hard to imagine it possible.

So it hurts him so much to see Izuku _break_ like that… 

It's almost like each time he is subconsciously putting up more and more walls on his emotions. On his feelings. And it hurts to watch. 

Currently, Hitoshi is trying to figure out what causes those ‘spells’ to happen, and also why they are so… abrupt. 

He thinks it’s something to do with Izuku’s quirk. 

He and Izuku read more into ‘quirk factor’ and sadly the few reported cases of it don't provide much in the way of _Izuku’s_ quirk. However, apparently a few of the cases came out with almost ‘different’ personality traits outside any possible trauma. For example, the person with the ‘beast like’ quirk became much more aggressive and violent when their personality originally was much more reserved. Someone with a ‘sludge like’ quirk came out to be more… parasitic? Basically he is shown to be ‘needy’ almost. Infact, the first time they got him out, he tried to ‘take over’ one of the medics on the thought he will ‘finally have a body’. 

Hitoshi is not really sure what that's about… but he digresses

The point is, it’s possible that because Izuku’s quirk is on the more… predator side, it has been slowly hiding, or on the much more concerning side, breaking his emotions…

These outbursts or ‘spells’ are possibly his emotions being ‘forced out’ to make room for more change, but…

Hitoshi hopes that’s not the case. 

* **CLATTER***

Speaking of quirks…

  
  


* * *

  
  


While Hitoshi was zoning out, Izuku had gone up to use the bathroom. He knows that Hitoshi just does that sometimes the same way he mutters about stuff without realizing, so Izuku just lets him ‘do his thing’. 

So when nature called, it was the perfect time...

Washing up, Izuku looks intently at his face.

It’s almost scary how fast he is changing.

The first and most noticeable change is Izuku’s white hair. At first, he had flipped because he was just going to get ready for the day when he stepped in the bathroom and saw his reflection. 

Hitoshi laughed at him

And then laughed again

The other ones were much more subtle. He was losing his remaining baby fat at an alarming pace. He suddenly started getting sikes of energy and running out of it a lot slower. All of his senses were going out of whack. And strangely enough, he is starting to become almost impossibly flexable. 

One of the other major changes though wasn’t discovered until he had his first ‘episode’. It’s so weird when that happens because it just starts randomly out of nowhere. His heart rate increases and his adrenaline is kicked into gear, and in Hitoshi’s words he goes into this ‘hysterical’ like state. 

During that episode, he had grabbed the nearest knife and stabbed it into his chest. 

The knife broke in half

One time he downed bleach

He healed in like 2 minutes 

Then of course there are those weird ‘tendril-like things’ Hitoshi described. But if Izuku is being honest, he has been too scared to even attempt to mess with that.

The most alarming change though…

Is his new **_diet._ **

Before the shit storm hit the fan, Izuku now knows why food started losing its taste and became so foul to the point of being poisonous. And he now knows why his arms healed so quickly…

He now knows what that ‘weird dream’ was about.

It was his quirk coming in…

And that thought _scares_ him.

‘What my quirk came in during school?’ Izuku thought

‘What if my quirk came in when I was 4? God, I’d probably be locked up somewhere by now…’

‘Where the monsters belong...’

…

What if-

**Budump**

What if it came in when I was alone with Hitoshi…?

**Budump**

No

**Budump**

I wouldn't have…

**Budump**

There’s no way

**Budump**

I-

**Budump**

I have to leave- I-

-What is this feeling…?

**Budump**

I…

Feel so…

**Budump**

**...**

_Hungry..._

***BANG***

Looking up sharply from his hunched(?) position on the ground he sees Hitoshi with a worried expression upon his face...

“Izuku, are you… are you there…?” Htoshi asked slowly as he steadily reached his hand out, almost unsure of what to say.

“H- Hitoshi…?” Izuku looked up, still frazzled by that new ‘feeling’ that just pulsed at his heart. 

“Oh, thank god” Hitoshi quickly breathed out, pulling Izuku into a tight hug. 

“Hitoshi I- I feel a little w-weird…” Izuku said in an almost strained voice. His expression was laced with confusion.

Faltering slightly in his hug, Hitoshi leans himself back a bit to face izuku. Adorning his own confused expression.

“I w-wanna s- ay ‘hungry’ but… it feels al-almost d-different?” He said like a question.

Hitoshi hums in contemplation for a moment, carefully schooling any features that might make Izuku feel bad.

Hitoshi looked up to the ceiling

“Hmmmmmm, it _has_ been a good couple of weeks since you ate last… and before that you barely ate at all…” Hitoshi says like he was debating with himself. Which he was.

All color suddenly drained from his face… Horror suddenly dawned on Izuku when he saw the implications and Hitoshi was quick to try and calm him down again. 

“Nope, it's okay. Don’t freak out. I'm right here…” Hitoshi hastily repeats mindless, comforting words for a bit before Izuku does eventually calm his racing heart…

If only just barley

“Are you good now?” Hitoshi asked. He knew Izuku probably was still internally freaking out, but right now he’ll take anything he can get…

A small nod is all he gets

“Okay, firstly let's get up off the bathroom floor and then when we get back to my room… we will talk about this, okay?”

Another small nod

  
  


* * *

  
  


They discussed it for a long time…

Many times, Hitoshi had to stop mid sentence to calm Izuku down again. Though, he doesn’t blame him for acting this way…

Granted, Hitoshi might have come by it a little too strongly in the beginning when he bluntly said “Okay, we might have to kill the thugs we take down…” so that one’s one him…

But that’s besides the point!!

Eventually, after a stupid idea that involved comparing izuku to a ‘glorified vampire’ and both of them getting a good laugh (luckily Izu shares Hitoshi’s sense of humor). They came up with a solid game plan...

Amputation

This way, no intentional murder is done, Izuku gets to eat, and the villains get what they deserve. DIVINE JUSTICE!!!

Judging by however long it takes for Izuku to start feeling _hungry_ again, they will take off 1 limb. So basically, they will do regular ‘vigilante’ stuff and whenever Izuku starts getting hungry again, they might just decide to ‘accidentally’ chop off a villain’s limb. It’s not 100% fool proof, but it’s better than any of the current alternatives.

Though Izuku is still having a hard time wrapping his mind around actually _eating_ , It’s something that's inevitably going to happen.

**Whether Izuku likes it or not…**

They ended the day with a couple more hours of the videogame “The Rising Of The Four Cardinal Heros **TM** ” under their belt and the looming inevitability of regular things like _eating_. They both decided that was tomorrow's problem and a couple hours of sleep would do them some good. 

So that's what they did.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The light of the moon shone bright as it seamlessly blends with the city lights below. For what the city lacks in stars, it makes up for in the seemingly endless lines of lights that glow in all different colors. 

Buildings that line the streets in a messy, yet organized manner. Uneven walls, fire escapes, side ledges, and billboards scattered around aimlessly… Truly the ultimate playground for those brave enough. 

Standing just on the edge of one of these many buildings, two hooded figures can be seen. With the glow of the city lights below, the shorter of the two adorns a hood of a dark green. The taller wearing a nice dark purple. both have black face masks hiding any possible features that the cover of night doesn't already accomplish. 

“Should we split up to try and cover more ground? Or would it be better to stick together on this one…” Green hood addresses

“I’d say stick together for now... Two is better than one, right?”

Nodding to each other, they promptly left their original spot. Swiftly making their way across the rooftops as the city decor guides their every move. 

All throughout the night, they hardly ever cease in their moves. Clearly intent on accomplishing what the duo set out to do. Though, no matter how far they go… in seems the bustle of the streets below will be all they hear tonight.

Or so they thought…

Green hood suddenly holds up a hand, silently signaling for the other to refrain in their movements. Stopping all movement for a good second, the smaller then gestures to move again, slowly stalking forward towards the building ledge. 

Staring down at the scene below, the pair silently stalk the people currently occupying the alley. 

It was a girl, maybe around 16-17 being held up against the wall with her head facing towards a man that looked maybe in the 30-40’s range at first glance... The scene is obvious to anyone watching as the girl’s shrieks are muffled by a very large, burly hand. The man is currently sporting a feral, almost ‘hungry’ grin that promises nothing nice.

Pointing to the fire escape further down the alley with his thumb, Purple hood’s intentions are clear. Nodding in affirmation, Green hood once again brings his gaze down to the assaulter, spying some pipes and another fire escape on the lowermost level directly above the two.

“Now you're just goin’ ta sit there an take it like a good girly mkay? Maybe then it won’t hurt as bad…” the man whispers in a low voice in one ear, making the petite girl shiver as tears streamed down the sides of her cheeks. 

**“Hey…”** a third voice suddenly chimes in

Further down the alley a light flickers, revealing a hooded figure just under it. Both hands in his pockets, the newcomer's stance looks almost… bored? 

The man, realizing he has just been caught growls in annoyance as he goes to shout at the ‘interruption’. But just as the threat slips from his lips, he suddenly goes slack. Eyes unblinking, and unmoving.

‘Bingo…’

The girl seeing her chance to flee, makes a B-line for the alley entrance. Almost tripping once on her own feet she disappears around the corner panting and crying.

That’s when the second hooded figure jumps down from the fire escape just above, harshly kneeing him in the head. This effectively knocks the thug out, sending him crumpling to the ground like a dropped sack of potatoes. 

“Well, that went a lot better than I thought it would…” The Green hooded perks. 

“You got that in one… you’d think that these guys would put more thought into precautions. Though, the hard part is still to come…” the Purple hooded states

Suddenly, the air is filled with an indescribable dread that both figures emit. Though if one were to pay attention enough, something akin to determination could also be felt leaking through the cracks.

“L- lets just g-get it o- over and do- done with…” Green hood stutters trying to act as calm as possible despite knowing what comes next.

“Do you know how to use your tendril things yet?” Purple hood asks, following in Green’s example of ‘putting on a tough face’.

“N- Not r-really… but I- I c-can try.” 

Taking in a deep breath, Green hood stands in place for a bit. Trying to let his muscles relax, he tries to think back to when they first came…

**A white hot pain burns threw my veins**

Another breath 

**A sensation that I can't describe, a painful tearing in my back.**

White sclera creeping into black as red reflects green

**A name of which, a feeling of, described as nothing more than...**

“Izuku-”

Focusing on Hitoshi, Izuku takes one more breath.

**Letting them out.**

Grunting slightly, Izuku feels the tell-tale tearing of his back as he looks behind. 

4, almost glowing red tendrils dance in the alley. The flickering light suddenly ***pops*** as the light within gives up and dies, turning the alley dark. Within the dark, glowing red irises pearce Through, gazing at the downed rapist with a restrained ‘hunger’ that only he can describe. Very unlike what the man previously showed…

Keeping his breathing steady, Izuku slowly wills a tendril forward. Curling around the base of an arm, Izuku snaps his eyes shut with the silent will to _crush_ . A faint ***squelch** * and ***snap*** as the only indication of the deed being done. 

As the smell of blood fills Izuku’s now fine-tuned nose, a foggy haze starts to envelope his mind. However, his will to only take the portion wanted is enough to guide his ‘predator like instincts’ to just that. The arm. 

Looking up slightly away from the sight, Hitoshi stands cross armed as his eyes quiver. The quiet, almost inaudible sounds of tearing flesh just barely makes it through to his ears with the constant background noise of the city becoming a nice distraction.

This is something that he will have to get used to. This is something that _they_ will have to get used to. Hitoshi knows that, Izuku knows that. But that doesn’t make it any less easier. 

Soft sobs suddenly fill the air as Izuku finishes up. Blood still on his face, he pulls his black mask back on. Walking on shaky feet he makes his way over to Hitoshi, who doesn't hesitate to pull Izuku into a quick hug. Maybe it was for comforting Izuku, maybe it was for comforting himself… either way, both friends revel in the contact of each other. Breaking them out of whatever storm was bound to come otherwise.

After a couple more precious seconds in each other's embrace, Hitoshi takes out a small metallic lighter out of his hood pocket and makes his way over to the downed shit stain. Lighting the small flicker up on the man’s arm stump, he quickly cauterizes the wound before giving a nod Izuku’s way, indicating he has finished. The duo then collected themselves before scaling up the fire escapes and once again retreating into the city’s night. 

Distant sirens can be heard in the direction they just were, assuring the duo that the girl successfully got to the police safely. Sadly thinking back the deed they had just committed, with heavy hearts the two friends make their way back to their little apartment to get cleaned up and plan for their next inevitable expedition. 

Moon still shining as brightly in the dark sky above.

  
  


* * *

  
  


A stretcher can be seen carting away an unconscious, now tri limbed man to a nearby ambulance as a girl who came crying to the police station screaming unintelligible nonsense, only to run out again actually explains the situation. 

Tsukauchi just so happened to be leaving for the day when he was suddenly called in for a ‘vigilante case’. Oooooo how he absolutely LOVED those…

Apparently, this teen had been only a few seconds away from being raped by said man being carted away and that's when a dark purple hooded figure came in and stopped him before he could do anything. 

Now, Tsukauchi has an almost love/hate relationship with vigilantes. On one hand, they are illegally using their quirks… But on the other hand, no one would have been there to save this girl if they hadn’t done it. So usually, when new vigilante cases come up, he tries to wrap them up as soon as they start, when they are sloppy. Because most of the time, they start out as people just ‘stepping in’ when they see something like this. Then, they just never stop. 

Unfortunately though, it seems that this is not one of those ‘in the moment’ cases. Because the way the girl described it, they knew exactly what they were doing. Not only was the vigilante’s hood up, but apparently when asked if their voice sounded feminine or masculine, she responded with “I’m n- not really sure b- because it sounded k-kinda muffled, but I suppose it was on the deeper side… S- so I g-guess masculine.” 

That hints that they were also wearing a face mask of some sort.

Now, Tsukauchi can’t call out people based on that alone, but because of where the hooded vigilante appeared (which was blocked by a wall and only really accessible via fire escape), that’s more than enough strikes to say that this was deliberately sought out. 

What does this mean?

It means that they will 100% return

Now, what does this mean for Tsukauchi?

More paperwork!!! yay… 

Seriously though, he genuinely hopes he will be able to wrap this up quickly. He respects people who genuinely want to help others, even if they do it in ways that aren't technically legal. He has never quite agreed with how tightly held quirks are and aren’t at the same time in terms of the legal system, but there is not much he can do about it except try and work around it. So, the faster they get caught, the faster they can drop it and possibly even become a legal hero in the end.

Though, it seems that this vigilante was given a bit of trouble judging by the ‘missing limb’. Tsukauchi has to squash down the quick ‘serves him right’ that surfaces and goes to file the statement. 

‘No Tsukauchi, losing limbs are bad and probably very painful. The vigilante should have been more careful… speaking of which, where did that limb go? Was it burned off?’ 

Tsukauchi leaves the ally. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOO!!! I AM BACK!! I'm so sorry for the delay, like I said in the 'Izuku Visual' I have been revising some future plot points and it has taken much longer than I thought it would. And if I'm being honest, I was actually kinda scared to work on this chapter and I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY!!?!! BUT ANYWAY!! hopefully I'll be able to put these chapters out faster next time, but its actually kinda hard to write 5,000+ words per chapter. Now, I know there are a lot of people who write like 25,000+ words per chapter and I'm just sitting here questioning 'H-How?". I don't know about anyone else, but I would probably loose the focus of the chapter and it wouldn't be put together all that well... I wouldn't know. 
> 
> And did anyone catch it? I put a "The Rising Of The Shield Hero" reference in there!! (One of my favorite anime, no one can tell me otherwise) 
> 
> Another thing before I leave, I have a hard time picking songs to represent certain chapters because I use so many that I can't pick 'the right one', so maybe you guys can? is that asking too much?? anyway... I hope everyone enjoyed reading!! CYAA!!


	6. Sun Rise, Sun Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IVE OPEND UP A DISCORD!!!
> 
> https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE
> 
> [Murder Of Crows](https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE)

  
  
  


Sobbing can be heard reverberating off the walls of the echoing halls, while empty comforts follow in their wake. Constant.

The slightly flickering light of the Tv screen illuminates the room in a dim, light blue hue. Paused. 

What looks like curry prep scattered all across the floor in only a room over. Untouched. 

The house is dark, too dark.

It’s only 3:37pm, so why is it so dark…

Why does the world seem so grey...?

Why does the world seem so quiet...?

Why does the world seem so loud…

***BANG***

“OI, YA OLD HAG!! IM—“

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Katsuki Bakugo is a lot of things. 

He is a top student across the board, he has a quirk that basically guarantees a spot as a top hero, his fighting instincts are off the charts, and everyone around him doesn’t have a shadow of a doubt he will make it big someday. 

This has been the case ever since he was a tike, he’s always been gifted whether it be in physical prowess or in his studies. 

But, there was always one person who was always better than Katsuki at one certain thing. 

Izuku was smart.

When they were young, they used to be great friends. They would do everything together— everything. They would play together, they would dream together, and as Katsuki’s strengths developed, so did Izuku’s.

That is…

Until Izuku didn't develop the only strength that seemed to really matter.

His quirk.

Yes, Izuku was smart. And Katsuki found himself silently admiring that quality, the way that he thought— different from everyone else. 

But that didn’t seem to matter. 

Their teachers started looking at Izuku in either pity or disgust. Same with their classmates, same with Hisashi, Izuku’s father. 

All the while, they would all sing praises to Katsuki and his quirk. They seemingly left Izuku behind. 

“The strong go far” they said. “The weak can’t” they said 

And Katsuki  _ hated _ that. 

Everyone around him was telling him how weak, useless— helpless he was. And no matter how smart Izuku was it didn’t matter, because he was weak.

Katsuki hated that. 

So he took it out on the one person he cared about…

And he just never stopped. 

And as everyone around Katsuki sung him praises and jobs well done, Izuku was thrown to the side. Forgotten. 

Katsuki couldn’t be his friend anymore and he didn’t even really understand why, but everyone around him was telling him he was going to be a great hero, a powerful, and strong one. 

And Izuku couldn’t. 

And Katsuki hated that, so he hated Izuku (his only friend) for being left behind. 

He hated how Izuku never seemed to give up on their childhood dream, he hated how Izuku couldn’t achieve that and be his friend again.

He hated Izuku (he doesn’t)

He hated him (he never could) 

Izuku is weak (he’s not) 

So why is Katsuki on the hardwood floor of his house watching as his mother cries out wails of despair while his father stares at the Tv screen holding her close. 

Why is Katsuki leaking tears from his eyes like the supposedly weak and useless Deku does oh, so often. 

Why is he, the strong, crying silent tears with his knees on the ground and a storm in his head— feeling nothing but  _ weak _ .

Why is Izuku, the weak (strong), stupid (smart), and useless (important), friend he wished he could keep— missing while his mother has burned to the ground. 

Katsuki is strong. 

But nobody could have prepared him for feeling so weak. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


The alarm clock blears obnoxiously loudly as the warm, morning sun peaks over the horizon. The soft, gentle gradients of yellows, oranges, and reds casting the dawn in a beautiful hue...

Shining in the eyes of many and  **ripping** sleep from the  **weak** grasps of the  _ unrested _ . 

Ahhhhhhhhhh, how great mornings are. 

“HITOSHI, GET THE FUCK UP” Izuku screetches at the very top of his lungs as he violently rips the  _ heavenly _ heat pocket from a certain purple haired individual. Tired of hearing his alarm blaring for the 4th time. 

This effectively has the desired effect as Hitoshi’s purple eyes shoot open and a resounding clatter reverberates through the room as he unceremoniously falls to the cold floor below. 

“What the hell Izu— AWW FU—“ Histoshi suddenly stops nursing his head as he looks over at his  _ oh so wonderful  _ time device. 

In a blur of lavender, Hitoshi is up off the floor and getting ready in a matter of  _ milliseconds _ . Uniform already mostly on as he makes for the bathroom. 

“Geeze Hitoshi, not even a ‘thank you’” Izuku states as he watches the scene unfold with his arms crossed. He gets flipped the bird in return. 

About 10 minutes and 46 seconds later (yes Izuku timed it) Hitoshi is ready to set off onto his daily journey to hell. 

“I’m mad I wasn’t able to squeeze more sick days outta my school— It’s not like they care that much about me anyway…” Hitoshi mumbles as he nabs a protein bar out of the cupboard. 

“I’m honestly surprised you were able to even get a week off, much less TWO!” Izuku throws his hands up in dramatics with a scowl on his face.

“At my school, they would try to find anything and everything to use against me.” 

“Mmmmm, RIP man.” Hitoshi hums 

“Anyway, did you want me to make my notes more clear so you can follow along too? Or…” Hitoshi drawls

“Eh, you can if you want, but I was thinking of just hitting the library or something. I might  _ legally _ be either dead or missing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get my knowledge.” Izuku says with a small smirk, tapping lightly at his temple for emphasis. 

“Nerd”

Izuku side eyes him

“Welp, I’m off— AHHHH” Hitoshi was promptly shoved out of the door. 

“Ow…” Hitoshi mumbles with a small smile gracing his lips as he looks back at his closed apartment door. 

Huffing in amusement, Hitoshi makes his way off to purgatory. 

For Hitoshi, the walk to school is always a pleasant one. He doesn’t have to deal with the day’s bullshit quite yet and he can either have his head as full, or as empty as he wants. 

For as much as he despises mornings with a forever burning  _ passion _ , he still finds them the most pleasant part of his day. Listening blissfully as the world wakes up around him. 

Business men hurrying off to their jobs, early birds taking morning strolls, and other students chatting about whatever as they make their way to their schools— Hitoshi watches them all. 

Some people might think being a spectator would be boring, or lonely. But He has grown to love it. Simply watching. 

At school, it’s not much different. With a quirk like his, people have a hard time wanting to approach, or even speak to him. Hitoshi doesn’t mind though, at least not now…

Now, Hitoshi has a friend to call his own. 

‘I hope Izuku will do fine without me.’ He can’t help but think as he makes his way down the sidewalk towards his school to (in Izuku’s words) get his learn on. 

The beautiful hues of the morning sun turning into clear skies of blue. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Dusting his hands off from dust that doesn’t exist, Izuku’s gaze lingers on the apartment door he just slammed shut. 

“Welp, now that I’m done with that… I should probably get ready to go too.” Izuku tells himself with hands on his hips, looking down the hallway where his and Hitoshi’s room is. 

The times Izuku has walked over to Hitoshi’s house before revealed a library that is not too far from where he lives. And with his… current predicament, Izuku can’t really go to school, but he also finds sitting in the house and doing nothing all that appealing, so he makes for his wallet and gets dressed. 

This is when Izuku finds something his white hair is good for, he isn’t recognizable. This luckily lets him walk around wherever he wants without having to deck himself out with face masks and hoodies, so he just throws on a T-Shirt and shorts before making for the door. 

The walk is short and sweet, the morning dew making the air feel just a bit cleaner— what with all the city pollution. It’s nice. 

After dodging a couple early risers quickly making their way to wherever they want to be, Izuku finds himself standing in front of the telltale stained glass doors of the library.

Pushing his way inside, he is met with an open, spacious interior with a large staircase that splits off halfway into two ways, leading down to a second floor that can be seen from the interior balcony lining the edges of the walls. 

The floors are almost like a dark, Brazilian walnut wood that creep up the edges of the walls in dark, rich wood plating. The walls themselves have a nice cream color with wooden beams that seem to line them.

The walls that sit on the interior balcony are lined with shelves upon shelves of books, whereas the lower floor walls seem only to be books with tables and chairs filling up the middle flooring in an organized fashion. 

Hanging from the ceiling above is a beautiful array of stained glass lanterns and lamps that fill up the library with different colors while also doing their job splendidly at illuminating the interior. 

Off to the side, there is a reception desk with filing cabinets that line the wall right behind the desk. Behind said desk is a woman who looks to be either in her late twenties or early thirties, with her feet up on the desk and a book in her hands. Her name tag read: Angelica. 

Just as Izuku read the name, she glanced up at him.

“Why hello there!!! You’re a new face! My name is Angelica— and I’m the owner of this place.” She greets, raising her hand to wave briefly before closing the book she was reading and putting her feet down. 

She had long, wavy, dark red hair that was borderline brown tied up into a messy ponytail with a few loose strands in the front. Her eyes were a bright amber that sat on slightly tanned skin. She was wearing a creamy white tank top under a denim jacket and jeans, with her name tag hung loosely around her neck on a black lanyard. 

“So! Did you want to check this place out before school or somethin’? It usually starts around this time doesn’t it…” as Angelica asked this, she leaned back in her chair and put her hands behind her head, never breaking eye contact. 

“O-oh! Y-Yeah it is, but... I’m— I’m homeschooled so…” Izuku drawls, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes. 

“Ahhhhh, I see… So!! You're here to study, yeah?” She asked while looking up at the ceiling, a small smile never seeming to break off her face.

Nodding slightly as confirmation he glances back at the library’s frankly stunning appearance. 

“Well, don’t let me keep you waiting. Here—“ rummaging around under the desk for a few seconds, she came up with a library card and held it out over the counter for Izuku to take. 

“Just Incase you want to take one or two books to finish at home” 

Offering a small smile, Izuku graciously takes the card before wandering into the main part of the library where a few other people sat quietly. Reading. 

Looking up at the wall of books that loomed before him, Izuku couldn’t help but feel a little giddy as he took in a single deep breath, closing his eyes. 

When he opened them again, a fire lit behind his green irises as he set out, determined to get through as many books as he could.

Feeling nothing but excitement for the task ahead. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


***SIGH*** “I suppose it’s about time I head out—“ Izuku breathed, hopping up out of his chair and looking over the pile of books that slowly accumulated over the hours. 

Glancinging around, it seemed that everyone who was either there when Izuku came or came shortly after left a bit ago. So it was just Izuku and Angelica. 

“You certainly hit the books hard”

Jumping slightly at the sound, he whirled around to see Angelica picking up some of the books from his pile and putting them back in their respective places. 

Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Izuku looked down to the side, averting any and all eye contact. 

“Y-yeah… I’ve always liked l-learning new stuff, but I’ve never really got the chance to just… go for it.” Izuku said, looking slightly bashful. Thinking back to the couple of times Inko got home before him and the very  _ not  _ fun time he had because of it. 

“I see. Well, it’s nice to see you so excited about— is this electrical engineering?” She asked, curious. 

“Y-yeah… what about it?” 

Pausing for a moment she looked back at the pile of books on the table. They all ranged between different technical topics, to more chemical, and even a bit of coding/hacking. 

Clearly, this kid isn’t just here because he is homeschooled. 

“Nothing, no— no there’s nothing wrong with it!” Angelica quickly reassured, giving Izuku a genuine smile. 

After the two put away all of the books in their respective places and Izuku packed up to leave, he found himself hovering his hand over the door handle. 

Looking back at Angelica, he gave a quick and abrupt thanks before quickly leaving out the stained glass door. 

“What an interesting boy” Angelica stated, eyes lingering in the door for a bit longer before going to lock up for the day. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Izuku was making his way back to Hitoshi’s apartment, it was already starting to get dark out. The city was bustling with people weaving around each other as the day started to end. 

Not really wanting to get caught up in the steady traffic of people, Izuku contemplated going for the rooftops before quickly dropping it. 

Instead, he decided to take the long way around where there is a decently large city park on the way to the apartment. Usually around this time, a lot of people aren’t around those areas, so it was the best option for Izuku to avoid the roadblock known as people. 

Strolling along the sidewalk as the sun sets in the distance, Izuku finds himself mentally reviewing what he read that day, intent to lose himself in his own thoughts until making it back to his friend. 

That is… until 

***squeee***

Izuku stops

***squeee***

‘Wha— what’s that sound…?”

***squeee***

Izuku looks over at a nearby bush

***squeEE***

He makes his way over

***SQUEEE***

Pushing the branches of the bush aside, Izuku freezes at what he sees. 

There, sitting under the foliage and brush is a black, little bird. Squeaking away. 

It looked like most of its feathers were in, but Izuku could tell that with the way it layed, it was still unsteady. Not to mention it looked  _ young _ .

Getting up briefly to glance around, Izuku spied what looked like the remains of a nest sitting underneath the nearby tree (closest to the bush).

‘Welp, there goes my plans to look for it’s parents…’

Hunkering down again for another peak, Izuku tired to figure out what kind of bird it even was. 

He guessed it was a crow.

‘I’ll have to look it up when I get back to Hitoshi’s, but for now—‘ 

Reaching inside the brush, Izuku gently cradled the bird and lifted it out with both hands. Upon closer examination and a very distressed  ***SQUEE*** Later, Izuku was also able to deduce it had a broken leg. 

“Shhhhhh— shh it’s— it’s okay…” Izuku whispered as held the bird gently in his arms. 

“I’ll get you to a nice place to warm up hmm? How does that sound?” Izuku asked the bird, not expecting a response as he sat up and made his way back to the apartment. 

‘I hope Hitoshi is okay with you’ Izuku thought as he upped his walking pace a bit as the sun started to  _ really _ set. 

Coloring the world around them in vibrant oranges and yellows. 

***Squeee***

  
  


* * *

  
  


Hitoshi didn’t expect many things when Izuku came back to his apartment.

Maybe he’d expected Izuku to ask him to go play ‘The Rising Of The Four Cardinal Heroes **TM’** as soon as he got back.

Maybe he’d expected Izuku to come home all bloodied and bruised because of how much of a trouble magnet he is (even if he’d just heal anyway). 

Maybe he’d expected to find this whole thing was a dream and he never even met Izuku and got a friend in the first place. 

Out of all the possibilities, Hitoshi didn’t think  _ this  _ would be one of them. 

***SQUEEE***

There, in Izuku’s arms, was a bundle of fluffy black feathers squeaking its little heart out. 

“Izuku, what the hell” was all that came out of Hitoshi’s mouth.

“Please don’t be mad, but I found this… I think it’s a crow? Sitting in some bushes and it looked hurt and the nest was destroyed and I didn’t see any other crows around andithasabrokenlegandIjustthought—“

Hitoshi held up a hand before Izuku could go into full on panic-talking 

“No, Izuku it’s fine— I just wasn’t expecting to see a baby crow come home with you is all.” Hitoshi clarified

***Squeee***

Sighing in what looked to be relief, Izuku went to sit next to him with the crow still in his arms. 

Peaking over Izuku’s shoulder, Hitoshi got a full frontal view of the little bird— and he had to admit, it was cute. 

“So, what do you want to do?” Hitoshi asked after a couple minutes.

“Firstly, I want to bandage up it’s leg. It looks broken and whenever I do any sudden moves it’s crowing sounds more distressed.” Izuku stated 

Rummaging through the house for a couple minutes, Hitoshi was able to procure two popsicle sticks and some regular bandages out of a first aid kit. 

As Izuku held the crow in place, he gently extended its talon for Hitoshi to bandage.

After about 10 minutes and one bit finger later, the little crow had a snug makeshift cast around its broken leg. 

“Thanks Hitoshi” Izuku said out of nowhere 

“Don’t mention it— and anywho, I think the little munchkin is growing on me anyway… Even if it did nick my finger” Hitoshi said with a teasing grin

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Hitoshi suddenly asked 

“I’m not sure, I think a girl…” Izuku trailed off

“What makes you think that?” Hitoshi asked, scrolling through his phone to try and find the answers

“I don’t know, she just kinda… smells like one…” Izuku didn’t add anything else after that.

“O-Kay…” 

They ended just up taking a small basket out of the cupboard and putting a little towel in it as a makeshift nest so she wouldn’t flop around and hurt herself. They also fed her some cat food Hitoshi uses when he feeds stray cats before letting her hunker down for the night.

After trying to follow the lil’ crow’s lead and go to bed as well for like 30 minutes, the two friends indulge in some video games before eventually getting tired enough to try an  _ actual _ attempt. 

Attempt— as in, listing off possible bird names 

“What do you think we should name her?” Izuku asked

“Hmmm, what about Yoru— Like the night” Hitoshi suggested

“Ehhh, I’m not sure… Kipa?”

“Oooooo I got one!” Hitoshi suddenly perks

“Shoot” Izuku pushes 

“How about Ryoshi?” 

“Ryoshi? Like ‘Hunter’?” Izuku asked

A nod 

“That— That’s actually a really good idea. I like that one” 

“Ryoshi it is then” Hitoshi settles 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“What? What do you mean they're ‘gone’?!?” A hand slammed down on the table,  _ hard _ .

*“W-well I-inferno sir… it seems that your ex wife I-Inko has recently deceased due to a house fire and your s-son in registered a-as missing”* Came a nervous voice from the other end 

“So you're saying no one can find him?” Hisashi asks, gripping the phone to the point of  _ cracking _ — already knowing the answer.

*“N-No sir…”*

Throwing the phone hard against the wall, it shattered into pieces. Decorating the tiled flooring in and almost crystalline sheen as the moon leaks in through the large apartment windows.

Groaning loudly in frustration, Hisashi bangs his hand on his table again to try and release his pent-up frustrations. 

“And all that work I put into getting together a ‘scouting party’ in japan for any of those underground quirk research facilities…” 

Hisashi was beyond frustrated at this point. Not only was his ex dead, but his son (the person he was actually after) is apparently missing, so he couldn’t even  _ contact _ him to try and get him. 

He had been setting up a ‘scouting party’ of sorts with people from his agency to try and see if “Quirk Factor” was still a thing being researched in underground facilities. 

His plan was to visit his ex and son again while they searched and if they found anything, he would try and contact the facility and somehow get his son into one of them when the time called for it.

Buuuuuuut Noooooooooo— fucking tragedy had to strike and completely shatter  _ that _ plan. 

“No— no I can still salvage this. They didn’t say Izuku was dead, they said he was  _ missing _ . That means I can  _ still _ find him” Hisashi suddenly perked 

“In the meantime though, I should probably still try and get over to Japan with my party. I can still look for those research centers while keeping track of the police’s progress with looking for my son” suddenly seeing the situation in a better light, his smirk re-affirms itself on Hisashi’s face

“In fact, this is probably better. Who knows how Inko would try to get in the way. At Least now, there’s nothing stopping me from getting my son back” chuckling to himself a bit as he settled into calm, Hisashi starts thinking up different patrol schedules and locations to look into as the light of the moon shone bright, almost clashing with the city lights below. 

“I will get you back son, don’t you worry—“

“It just might take a little more time…” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IVE OPEND UP A DISCORD!!!
> 
> https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE
> 
> [Murder Of Crows](https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE)


	7. THE FUTURE!!!!

ALRIGHTYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BROS!!!! This is it! We are at the point where ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!! And I for one am exited!!! However, I cannot go on without knowing what people want! SO! Im having a poll about what YOU want to happen in the future of this FIC!!! I'll explain-

Firstly, this will determine how I'll be handling furture plot points (Like I'm sure you've already guessed...). As in, GOOD or BAD endings!!! 

Now, I want to make it clear that the 'Good' ending is not necessarily the GOOD ending- And the 'Bad' ending is not necessarily the BAD ending. Now this might not make a whole lot of sense in that context, HOWEVER! I'll be trying my best to explain it in a way that doesn't reveal too much! 

This will determine how I handle ALL of society on BOTH sides! as in both the "Hero's" side and the "Villain's" side (And anything in between). This story has always been about how someone with a quirk that forces them to eat human flesh would fare in the BNHA society, and this decision will decide HOW that is portrayed, told, and experienced! my option on this is as follows- THE "Bad" ENDING WILL BE MORE FUN FOR ME TO WRITE AND PROBABLY MORE ENTERTAINING!!! Take that as you will, I'm giving you nothing else. Im doing this poll in the first place because I know something like a "Bad" ending can put lots of people off, so I'm just seeing what the majority would generally be exited for. 

If you want to give your poll, You can either say your decision in this chapter's comments, OR! you can go on my discord where a poll is up and running. Fell free to add any and all opinions or questions. 

[Murder Of Crows](https://discord.gg/tCH3RrE)

Please help me and my stupid brain make a decision! THANK YOU!!! :))

**Author's Note:**

> Hello anyone who has read this far into my FIC! this is currently my attempt at a re-write of a FIC I wrote a few months ago on Fanfiction.Net! It was called The Silent Crow for anyone who is interested. This current FIC will be taking a different turn compared to the last one so you can't reference too much. BUT ANYWAY! I like to think my writing has improved a lot from when I first started out, but please don't hesitate to tell me if there is something weird or whatever. I take criticism very seriously and I try to follow it to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! CYIA!!


End file.
